Sonic X: The Movie
by MissBrains101
Summary: Based on the anime series. A hedgehog from the 200 years to the future, traveled to the present to change the fate of his world. But when things set off on the wrong foot, the heroes accidentally transported to a unknown world by Chaos Control. Sonic and their friends find themselves in a brand new challenge that will take more than speed to save their world...and their future.
1. Prologue

**I do not own Sonic X or the characters. I just imagine what it'll be like if there was a movie. (That would have been cool) All characters are properties of Sega and Sonic Team.**

**Motto:** It's gonna take more than just speed to save the world...and the future!

A world premiere of the new film, Sonic X The Movie was taking place at the Station Square movie theater. The red carpet laid out in front of the entrance. Dozens of movie fans stood at the barricades, waiting for the movie stars to arrive. The news reporter Scarlet Garcia stood outside the theater.

"This is Scarlet Garcia reporting live at the world premiere of the new hit movie, 'Sonic X The Movie' here at Station Square Cinema Palace." She announced on TV. She presented the movie poster behind her.

"Our heroes, for the first time ever, are starring in their own full length motion picture! The film is as usual about saving the world but in a brand new-fashion way that not even the fans will predict what will happen. Sonic The Hedgehog will be facing the ultimate challenge that will take a little more than just speed. This epic film will also be featuring some brand new characters, including the notorious racing team, the Babylon Rogues."

The Babylon Rogues cardboard cut-outs were presented outside the theater entrance. There were some beeps from approaching car.

"Oh here comes the stars now!" Scarlet announced. She and the cameraman rushed over to a couple of vehicles, pulling over. A bunch of stars got out.

Scarlet continued, "here we have our favorite movie star, Lindsey Thorndyke..." Chris Thorndyke's mother Lindsay stepped out of the limo, looking fabulous.

"Sam Speed!" Scarlet announced. Sam Speed of the Speed Team stepped out of his race car, bowing.

"The President!"

The President exited out from his limo, while his protective agents lined up in front of him.

"Wise Elder Owl!" An elder owl in a monk cloak bowed down and chuckled excitedly.

"And who do we have here?" Scarlet peered over a long black limo.

"t's the one, the only..."

Tanaka opened the door and a blue hedgehog stepped out.

"Sonic The Hedgehog!" Scarlet declared.

"Hey, hey, everybody!" Sonic waved happily. He was wearing sunglasses like a movie star.

"...And his good friends, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, Cheese, Rouge, and of course, young Christopher Thorndyke!" Scarlet finished.

Amy Rose came out , wearing a pink gown and white boa, and blew out a kiss to the fans.

Miles "Tails" Prowler stepped out next and waved to the crowd. Knuckles The Echidna showed off his fists and flexed his muscles. Cream and Cheese excitedly gigglingly waved to the crowd while Rouge The Bat stood there looking gorgeous.

12-year-old Christopher Thorndyke shyly waved to the crowd and chuckled "Hello, everybody. Hi, great seeing you too! Thanks for coming!"

"So Sonic Team, how does it feel to star in your own movie?" Scarlet interviewed them.

"Awesome!" Sonic answered, giving a thumbs up.

"Incredible!" Tails added.

Amy's eyes twinkled in delight. "I'm finally in a movie! Now I'm even more famous!"

"It's okay. Though I'd rather be guarding the Master Emerald." Knuckles said, arms folded with uninterested.

"It's really exciting. Hello, Mama. We're on TV!" Cream said, waving to the camera. Cheese chirped in agreement.

"Eh, I couldn't care less about starring in a movie as long as I get my diamonds and jewelry awards!" Rouge said.

"I just can't believe that we finally have our own movie! I feel like I'm following in my mom's footsteps!" Chris put in.

"Well, there you have it, folks! We have Sonic and his friends here at the 'Sonic X The Movie' premiere. This is Scarlet Garcia signing off at live Station Square Cinema Palace. See you soon and don't forget to watch the movie!" She and her cameraman called it quits.

"Come on, Scarlet. Let's go before all the good seats are taken." Her friend said

"Righto!" Scarlet said. They both headed inside. As soon as Sonic and friends walked into the theater, a couple of kids ran up to them with a pens and papers.

"Excuse me, guys, but can we have your autographs, pretty please?" They asked. "We're your biggest fans!"

"Well, of course, kids." Sonic replied.

"Sure!" Amy replied with flattery.

"I'll be happy to!" Tails said.

"Of course." Cream said.

Knuckles, Rouge, and Chris smiled with flattery. Sonic and his friends signed a the kids' autographs. After the kids left, Sonic declared, "I call dibs on the stage boxes."

"The stage boxes? That's where VIP celebrities normally sit. Why not sit in the lower arena like all the others, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Because I am the star of this movie! Duh!" Sonic said.

"Hey, I co-started in this film too, you know." Knuckles said.

"Yeah, but my name's on the title, see?" Sonic said snobbishly, pointing to the title poster.

"Don't forget, Sonic. We're all in this together. You can't hog all the spotlight." Chris said.

"Yeah, yeah..." Sonic responded, kinda of full of himself just because he starred in his own movie.

The gang approached the concession stand. Big The Hare was looking at the movie posters, with Froggy on his head.

"Let's get some popcorn, Cheese. What's a movie without snacks?" Cream suggested. Cheese agreed. The gang got in line. Rouge was first in line. She ordered, "give me a diet cola soda, medium large bucket, heavy on the light butter, side of raisins, a side of candies, and..."

Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman, Bokkun, and his henchbots, Decoe and Bocoe were standing outside the theater entrance. The movie fans noticed them. Eggman stroke a menacing pose. No one except a homeless guy who just flatly clapped, cared. In fact, they just scoffed in disgust and then they all left. Nobody likes a villain.

Eggman growled in annoyance. "Of course, these idiotic people wants only Sonic, not Eggman, the great doctor genius in the world!"

"If you're the greatest genius in the world, why aren't you in the theater with the rest of them?" Bokkun said.

"Good question. I should be in that premiere! I was the main villain of that movie! Without me, it would have been a flop! So I'm supposed to be in the premiere! How dare they not invite us?!" Eggman growled.

"Yeah, how dare they not invite us to the premiere!" Decoe added.

"We should start a riot!" Bocoe put in

Bokkun stomp his foot in mid-air. "I want popcorn!"

"Gentleman, put on your best suits and ties. We are going into that theater, one way or another." Eggman said, gleaming deviously.

"But we're robots, we don't wear suits or bow ties." Bocoe said.

"Besides, how on Earth are we going to get in the theater? We don't have invitations." Decoe asked.

"We are crashing the party, Eggy Style! HEE HEE!" Eggman declared. He grinned maliciously as his glasses shone of dexterousness.

Everybody sat at the theater room, waiting for the picture to start. Sonic and the gang entered at the seats with snacks and drinks.

Sonic walked down the row of seats. "This looks like a good spot!" He plopped down. His friends sat down as well. The theater got darker which means the picture is starting.

"Alright, just in time." Sonic whispered.

Everyone applauded as the number on the picture counted down to feature presentation. Suddenly, someone's cell phone rang, echoing in the quiet theater!

"Huh?" Everyone was disturbed.

A man answered it. "Hello? Hey, what's up? How you doing? No, I'm not busy, I can talk!"

Chris peered over the seat. "Shh! Excuse me sir, do you mind?"

"Hey, do _you_ mind? I'm having an important conversation!" The guy retorted obnoxiously.

"But's it's impolite to talk during the movie." Cream said.

"Not to mention talk in cell phones!" Tails added.

"Then why don't you go someplace else?" The caller said impertinently. "I'm sorry, where were we? Some people can be so rude!"

Sonic and gang were annoyed by his impertinence, but Knuckles was even more annoyed. He growled in vexation as he cracked his knuckles. "I'll show him RUDE!" He snarled.

"Uh-oh..." Rouge said. She knew what was going to happen next...

In the back ally of the theater, Knuckles kicked the emergency exit door open. He yelled and threw the rude talking guy outside like trash! The caller screamed as he crashed into the garbage cans.

"AND STAY OUT!" Knuckles roared. "AND TAKE YOUR NOISE BOX WITH YOU!" He tossed the guys's cell phone so hard, it bounced off his head, knocking him out cold.

Knuckles slammed the door shut and dusted off his hands. As he returned to his seat, the movie attenders praised and applauded him.

"Thanks, Knuckles!"

"You rock!"

"You showed him!"

Knuckles smirked.

Sonic gave him a thumbs up, "nice job, Knuxster!"

Rouge hugged Knuckles, "my hero!"

Knuckles brushed her off, "yeah, yeah!"

Suddenly, a large strange shadow appeared on the movie screen.

"Huh?" Everyone looked up.

"Is it part of the movie?" Chris asked.

Suddenly, the shady figure ripped through picture screen, revealing to be Dr. Eggman in his destructive robot machine! His henchbots were sharing the cockpit with, aiding him of control of the robot!

The people are shocked!

"I don't think that's the matinee." Rouge said.

"It's not! It's Doctor Eggman!" Tails cried.

"Eggman!" Sonic and Knuckles said together.

"Why is he here?" Amy asked.

"OH HO HO! Not inviting the good doctor to the movie premiere, eh? Well, I'll show you a real blockbuster of the party!" Eggman crowed as he pulled some levels. They control the robot. Sonic and friends stepped up to prepare to fight.

"Let's get this party started!" Decoe said.

"Time to begin our own world matinee!" Becoe added. He pressed some buttons.

The robot swung his huge hands around, creating havoc in the theater. The people panicked as they ran from their seats. Chris protected a frightened Cream and Cheese. People screamed as they try to evacuate the theater but the doors had been shut tight, trapping them in here! People banged on the doors and frantically pulled them in vain.

"Let us out!"

"Help us!"

"Don't keep us locked here!"

Bokkun had closed all of the doors with the push of the remote control! "Uh-uh-uh!" He said "The show was about to go on and it's rude to leave! So stay seated!"

He pressed the button. Suddenly, arms and hands grew from seats and grabbed the frightened people and pulled them back to their seats, ensnaring them.

"Hey! Not cool!" Sonic shouted in aggravation. Then he heard Chris, Cream, and Cheese scream. He turned around and saw that Chris, Cream, and Cheese are snared by those mechanical hands as well!

"Sonic!" Chris cried.

"Save us, Sonic!" Cream cried.

"Chao! Chao!" That was from Cheese who got grabbed by a giant hand!

"Chris! Cream! Cheese!" Amy cried.

"Hang on, guys!" Sonic said.

"You better let these people go, Doctor Eggman!"

"HO HO HO! I'll let them go...as soon as the show's over, which will be _never_!" The robot raised its menacing claws at the heroes.

"You really are a maniac, you know that, Eggman?" Sonic asked.

The evil doctor brushed his mustache. "Why thank you, Blue Freak! Let's get started, shall we? E-92, Star Trooper, GO!" His robot looked down on the blue hedgehog.

"Bring it on!" Said Sonic, confidently.

He rushed to the robot one stage at speed power. A mechanical hand lunged at his way, he dodged it and the hand only made a mark on the floor.

"Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!" Sonic taunted. The hand attacked again. Sonic swiftly dodged again.

"Missed again, metal head!" He taunted.

And so, with Star Trooper trying to hit him, Sonic kept dodging and running. He jeered, gave an Akanbe, and spanked his rear. Eggman was getting annoyed and frustrated.

"Hold still, you little worm!" He growled. He commanded the Star Trooper to attack Sonic once more but the blue hedgehog eluded the fist and swirled around the big robot. Everyone inside got dizzy from the blue spinning.

"Ooooohhh...Mommy, I don't feel so good," Bocoe moaned.

Sonic landed on the Star Trooper's head. "Come on, slowpoke! You can do better than that! Hit me!" He called out.

The robot slammed his fist on the head, missing Sonic!

Eggman was banged up. "Ooaf! You-!"

His friends scrambled around the theater.

"Hey, while Eggman is distracted, let's try and help these people free." Tails suggested.

"Good idea," Knuckles replied.

Tails, Amy, and Rouge went to try and free the hostages while Knuckles attempted to release Chris, Cream, and Cheese from the evil clutches.

"Hang on, kids! I'm getting you out of here!" He grunted as he pried his fingers into the clenched hands and wrapped coils.

"Please hurry, Knuckles!" Cream said. Cheese cried.

"Take your time," Chris said.

But the hands are wedged on too tight.

Tails struggled to unbind the helpless citizens. "Uh...uh! No matter how hard I tried, I can't get them to come off!" He strained.

Rouge tried to kick these mechanical hands open. "These things are screwed on tight!" She exclaimed in frustration.

"I'd use my hammer, but I'm afraid I might hurt these people!" Amy said, holding her hammer.

Bokkun flew around and laughed. "You can't free them. I'm still in charge! They're my hostages as long as I have this!" He has the remote control in his hands.

"So that's it!" Rouge said.

"We gotta get that remote!" Tails said.

Amy swung her hammer at Bokkun who quickly dodged.

"Whoa! Watch it!" He cried in alarm.

"Come down, you! Fight like a man!" Amy swung her hammer.

"Grr! You'll never get me!" He threw fists and kicks. Tails and Rouge flew after him. Affrighted, Bokkun tried to outfly them.

"Come here, you!" Rouge called as she reached for him.

"We're not gonna hurt you!" Tails assured. "Just take the remote from you!"

Knuckles climbed on the wall. "Gotta get that remote!" He uttered.

Chris, Cream, and Cheese, still trapped watched the fight with admonishment. Suddenly, the Star Trooper shot out missiles throughout the theater. Sonic cried in panic and rushed to capture the missiles! Eggman laughed menacingly. The everybody including Chris and Cream panicked. The heroes looked up in alarm and shouted in horror. They frantically scattered around trying to catch the the upcoming missiles before they could hit anyone! Knuckles glided and swiped the missiles. Amy punched the missiles away and they blew away at the roof.

Bokkun laughed, "HA HA HA!" He shook his rear in mockery. "Whoa!" He had to dodge a missile!

Tails and Rouge caught them. Sonic managed to catch one with seconds to spare. He panted.

"HA HA HA! Isn't this a blast? We should do this all the time!" Eggman shouted.

"This guy's a maniac!" Knuckles proclaimed.

"No kidding!" Sonic said. "I've got to divert them before more innocent people get hurt!"

"Here, have some more!" The mad doctor shouted. He fired more bombs.

Sonic charged after him! "No! Stop it!" He battled the Star Trooper.

"What'll we do?!" Tails cried. The people screamed.

"Threw them to the hole of the roof! We gotta protect these people!" Knuckles shouted. He caught one and lunged it to the hole before it exploded. It created a firework outside.

His friends agitatedly did what he commanded, tossing up the bombs before they exploded! Amy hammered the bombs into the roof hole, creating more fireworks. Rouge kicked them up. Tails blew them up and away with his whirling tails! Sonic continued to fight the Star Trooper. Bokkun was really enjoying the show. Chris and Cream watched their friends battle endlessly.

"We've got to do something, Chris!" Cream said, worriedly. "They can't keep this up forever!" Cheese squirmed.

"I know, Cream." Chris replied. "If only I had a hair pin. Sonic needs one of those rings!"

"I think I have one on my ear," Cream said. She flapped her ears. "Here!"

A hair clip popped off and landed in Chris' hand. He begins to unlock the lock, link to the coiled hands. "My grandpa showed it me! I hope it works!" He said. Sonic and heroes were getting pooped from all this fighting to defend the people inside. As the friends literally kicked out the bombs out the roof, making fireworks, a group of policemen notice the commotion nearby.

"Hey look at that!" A policeman said, munching his donut.

"Wow! Looks like New Year's Eve!" Said another policeman, eating a hamburger.

"It's coming from the Station Square Cinema Palace! Whatever's going on, we better check it out!" Said a third policeman, drinking hot cocoa.

"Yeah!" His two partners agreed.

Back at the theater, Sonic was exhausted from fighting.

"Don't tell me you're getting tired already," Eggman sneered. The Star Trooper grabbed the blue hedgehog in its large hand. "HA HA HA! You've ran out of blue juice, furry freak! I shall crush you like a blueberry! I have won!" The hand began to tightened around Sonic's body! He groaned in pain.

"Hurry, Chris!" Cream urged, fearfully.

"Almost got it..." Chris said, hurriedly picking the lock.

The gang buckled down in tiredness.

"What kind of heroes are you?" Bokkun jeered in disappointment. "Is that all you got? Then I shall unlock my secret weapon!"

He was to touch the button when Chris finally broke free! "Yes!" He shouted. He quickly released Cheese from his prison of the arms and Cheese flew up and snagged the remote control from Bokkun.

"What! He took my control!" The prune colored imp whined.

Cheese pressed the button and everyone was free, including Cream! Everyone cheered. The heroes smiled.

"Doctor look! The hostages are free!" Decoe pointed.

"What?!" Eggman looked around. He saw that his plan has been ruined again.

Sonic grinned in triumph.

"How can that be?! We had everyone on the ropes!" Eggman cried.

"I guess it was too good to be true!" Bocoe added. "Our plans never succeeded."

"WHAT?!" Eggman snapped.

Chris reached into the bag and pulled out a shining gold ring. "Sonic, catch!" He tossed the ring Sonic. He caught and felt incredible renewed power surging inside him. With super strength, he broke free from Star Trooper's grip and opposed to Eggman and his henchbots.

"What?! No! You can't-" Eggman stuttered.

"Yes he can!" Decoe said.

"He looks mad!" Bocoe added.

"Playtime's over! Time for the final cut!" With super speed, he charged at Star Trooper's head and at a bright light, he destroyed the troublesome machine, sending a screaming Eggman and his robots in the the air and then landing directly back into the theater, crashing down hard on stage. They groaned in pain. "Mommy..." Eggman uttered in daze. The robots groaned, "ooohhhh..."

Sonic and his friends stood around them in victory. He gave them a thumbs up. They cheered in triumph.

The police arrived at the theater. People were ran screaming from the exit. The policemen got out from their cars.

"Uh-oh..." One of the policeman said.

"That probably means Eggman is inside the theater!" Said another policeman.

"Let's go!" The third policeman ordered. They went inside the theater. They barged into the picture room, with guns pointed.

"Alright, FREEZE!" The police officer shouted.

"Hands in the air!" The other police ordered.

"They're over there, officers!" Chris said, pointing to the stage. The policemen approached and confronted Eggman and his robots.

"Stay where you are," the policeman said. "You're all arrested!"

Eggman looked up. "Oh perfect," he moaned in agony. Not just from the beating but from defeat.

"We're from party's crashers to jailbirds!" Decoe moaned in sadness.

"Life's so unfair!" Bocoe added.

A policeman caught Bokkun in a pet carrier. "Hey, let me out! I demand to be released!" He shouted.

As the policemen took the enemies away, everybody began chatting with each other as a way of saying, "good job". Chris, on the other hand, took a look at Eggman being taken away who looked bitter and angry. Decoe and Bocoe also looked unhappy and dejected. Bokkun was sobbing through the pet carrier. Chris' heart filled up with pity. He turned to his friends.

"You know, Sonic. Maybe we should cut Eggman and his robots some slack." He said.

The gang looked at him like he's crazy. "What?"

"What do you mean?" Amy demanded. "He attacked everyone!"

"Yeah, he's the bad guy!" Tails put in.

"And so are his robots, Chris!" Cream said.

"I don't think I need to remind you about the bombing pipsqueak!" Rouge added.

"Give us one good reason why we should cut them some slack?" Knuckles urged impatiently.

"Well, one; They only wanted to see the premiere and nothing else. Two; they did starred in that movie so it's only fair to us that they're left out. And thirdly, it's a very special event for all of us, cast! We should at least let them get a glimpse of the movie. Otherwise, we wouldn't be any better than Eggman, all put together." Chris explained perfectly.

The gang nodded with agreement.

"Kid's got a point there," Rouge said.

"You're right," said Tails.

"Yeah, I couldn't enjoy myself if we were being mean to them!" Cream said. Cheese chirped in agreement.

Amy nodded. Even Knuckles agreed, "I suppose so."

Sonic was the only one who hadn't give in yet. He hesitated, until Chris convinced him. "Please, Sonic? Just this once."

Despite the fact that they're archenemies, Sonic eventually gave in and groaned.

"Oh alright! Bring him in! But somebody better keep an eye on him!" He said.

Chris rushed after the policemen as they were putting Eggman in the car. "Wait! Hold on!" He whispered in the officer's ear.

"You sure about this, kid?" The policeman asked. Chris nodded. The gang nodded as well.

"Alright." The policeman turned to Eggman and his henchbots. "Alright, you, get out!"

"Hmm?" Eggman and the robots looked up with curiosity.

Later, after the quick reparations, the feature presentation was finally beginning. Everyone cheered and applauded. Sonic and friends were back in their seats as rewards.

"Finally, show time!" Sonic said, scooping some popcorn.

In the projection booth, Eggman and his henchmen were tied to chairs while a policeman kept an eye on him, but they're all happy.

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" Bocoe tittered excitedly.

"This is so excitedly! I can't believe we're seeing a movie!" Decoe said, thrillingly. "This is gonna great!"

"Somebody passed me the taffy and soda!" Bokkun said.

"Quiet!" Eggman ordered. "The movie's starting!" He grinned happily. Popcorn and soda were laid on his belly.

On the movie picture screen, Sonic winked at the end as saying "enjoy the show".


	2. The Priest's Devastating Plan

**Attention Readers,**

**For those who have already read this chapter, pardon the sudden changes. As I worked on the stories, I have the urge to do some editing on the drafts and place or replace new words on each story paragraph so that readers can enjoy the story. During the process, I will do some more editing and write more chapters on the way and I hope you'll like the "movie" story.**

**P.S. for bearvalley3365, I don't know what's with you and pandas and gorillas, but for you, I'll add a panda character in the story. I know Big is a cat, with his big ears, he looked more like a hare, that's all.**

**Peace.**

A colorful round stained glass window with a sun icon on it glowed inside a quiet cathedral. Several glorious radiance gave out from the other stained windows in the aisles of the holy church room, brightening the nave where people were sitting on pews. They were all wearing white cloaks with the same symbol of the sun on the stained glass window and each were holding a lit candle, including a child. A man in a priest's clothing was standing on a platform and giving a sermon. Behind him is the same sun symbol painted on the wall. A old man played the organ. This cathedral must be a place of worship of a celestrial blazing star. A religious service was being attended.

"My brothers and sisters," the priest said. "We gathered round here to give thanks to our holy sun spirit, the great and powerful god, Solaris." Above him, a dome described a picture of a mysterious golden shapeshifting bird-like creature with five segments of wings, ruling all of the universe, their eternal Sun God of their town, Solaris.

"For millenniums, he's been watching over us, nourishing our souls with his fiery wings. Giving us life and our happiness. He also had warmed and brightened our planet with his kind loving flames of light. What he gave to us, we will give in return. Brothers and sisters, let us pray now for his eternal light and guidance so that we may continue to live in peace and harmony. God of the Sun, watch over us and keep the world and universe in balance."

The priest approached the alter with a torch cup on it under the Solaris dome. He placed a candle over it and the flames spread over to the cup. "Children of the Solaris, return to your father so that we may reuse his holy sun power again."

The attendees got up from their seats and approached the alter. Their heads bowed their heads in prayer as they too deposited their flames into the torch cup. They chanted their prayers in Latin for peace and fortune. The flames formed into one big ember, brightening up the dome of the sun god. One last one left is a child who tried to reach over the tall alter. The priest picked her up and she laid her flame in the cup, creating a big completed flame that flickered through the dome. The picture now glittered lively. The girl smiled in satisfaction. The priest patted her on the head. He looked up as his sun emblem necklace glowed ember orange as reaction to the flames. He touched it.

"That concludes my sermon. May our eternal sun god watch over you, my siblings."

A couple of guys shook his hands in gratitude. An old man finished playing the organ. A mother held on her child adorably. The attendees began to chatter quietly. The priest left the service room, walked down the hallway, and entered his office. There he found his expectant wife sitting in his desk.

"My dear wife, whatever are you doing in here?" The priest asked. "You know I don't like to be bothered at work."

"Really, hon? Is that any way to greet your wife whenever she wanted to see you?" The wife replied. She got up from the chair, revealing her round belly, pregnant with their first child. Her hands are on her hips. "Especially when his baby is due any day?"

"Of course, not, love. You're right. Forgive me, I was just working too hard," the priest replied, approaching his soon-to-be-mommy wife. "My love, have I ever told you that you look more radiant than ever?"

"Oh, you're just saying that because of my little condition. I have been getting around the waist, haven't I?" The wife said, rubbing her belly.

"Nonsense, you and our baby are as beautiful as ever. Soon we will became parents."

His wife chuckled. "We'll be a family. I demanded a good happy one."

The priest smiled and nodded in agreement. "Come, love. I must show you something." He took his wife's hand over to a portrait. He removed it, opened a safe, and revealed a golden wand with a glowering orb attached to its end.

The wife peered at it with curiosity. "Ooohh. It's so sparkling and pretty. What is it?"

Her husband pulled it out of the safe. "That, my dear, is what we called the Scepter of Light." He explained.

The wife looked at it with curiosity. "The Scepter of Light?"

"The miracle of all inventions. With the sun's help, I designed it myself out of the minerals of life." He said. He pointed to the bulb on the tip of the wand. "This orb right here contains the spark of Solaris, a piece of a solar flame taken from sun by the astronauts during a prominence eruption."

"The astronauts went too close to the sun to get a flame?" The wife asked with concern. "They could have gotten burned!"

"No of course not, silly! What I meant is that the SDO sent a burn-proof space probe to the sun during its solar eruption. Thanks to our corperate special advanced technology, it was able to take samples from the sun without getting blazed into ashes. We obtained this tiny flame, Solaris' seed into this wand!" He presented the Scepter of Light proudly to his wife. She smiled in amusement.

"Since the sun is center of the universe and orbits all the planets, day and night, Solaris is also the god of time and space." He continued. "With his amazing power, this wand will be able to allow us to travel through time and space to correct all of humanly mistakes and errors from the yore pasts. We could prevent terrible disasters from happening. We can also alternate reality to bring eternal happiness and sinless lives to the people of Sunny Town. With the other solar flame samples, we will create a time machine that will allow anyone to cross over the realms of time and reality. There will never be pain and misery again. It's like recreating Eden. My invention and the Scepter of Light will change ours and our baby's lives forever."

The wife was fascinated. "That's amazing! Do you really think that will work? Can we really travel through time and space?"

"That's right, my dear. Not only will we observe the historic moments up close, but you will even be able see your mother once more."

The wife was excited. "Did you hear that, little one?" She whispered to her belly. "You get to see Grandma!" She rubbed her tummy.

The priest put his hand on her stomach to feel his child move. He place down the flame wand on his desk and laid his other hand on her tummy, and rubbed it. "I can feel him kicking. No doubt it'll be a boy." He said. "We must think of a name for this baby."

"I don't know," the wife replied. "What if it turned out to be a girl? But either way, I'll be so happy." The couple chuckled and both sighed happily. Then the wife turned away in worry. "Ohh..." She sighed.

"What's the matter?" Her husband asked.

"Oh, Honey, why do I have this terrible feeling that something bad will happened. What if something goes wrong? What if your invention malfunctions and creates a horrible catastrophe to the town? What if Solaris gets angry and sends his wrath upon us?" Her hands are on her face with worry.

"It won't, baby, I promised. Rest assure you that everything will be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen. Our child will be safe. Sunny Town will sleep soundly tonight. What the worst possible thing that could happen? Besides, we got to concentrate on the important thing."

"What's that?"

"How to be good parents."

Their matching sun necklaces sparkled as they got close together, holding each other in comfort and tenderness. As the couple continued caressing each other, the flame in the orb flickered softly.

Suddenly, just like wife presaged, the fire spark explode from the scepter during a science experiment, creating a body of massive flames that madly spread and burned the entire lab, the trees, and eventually half of the town! It seemed that the solar flame, sampled from the sun, gained so much energy from the engines, its electrons mutated and formed into a giant living lava monster, also created from the darkness of voids of space. The fiery demon raged throughout the entire world, engulfing it into flames, filling up the gaps and ends with terror and destruction. Soon, the peaceful world was no more. The beginning of a brand new age had embarked...A new age of darkness...


	3. The Ruined Future

**This story takes place between season 2 and the comic issues. This may contain some bit parts from Sonic The Hedgehog [2006].**

**There won't be Elise or Mephiles, so you won't have to worry about Sonic kissing another human.**

**Also, I'm afraid Shadow won't be in this movie story because he's still in Eggman's stasis pod. But the good news is that Silver will be in it and so will the Babylon Rogues. There will be surprises in this story so keep reading! **

[200 years later in the future...]

The entire whole world was in complete turmoil. A huge city laid in ruins as it was covered in darkness. Lava flowed around the cracked streets. The sky was pitched black except for lightning, striking across. The sun was gone. All the light in the world was gone. The remaining screaming people tried to flee away from danger. There in the dark areas, something more evil was lurking. A swarm of nasty foul flame-formed creatures roamed around in the city, menacing everywhere and everyone.

_My world is in devastation. Everything around fell in ruins! _A young male voice thought out loud._ A terrible monster of fire what we called Iblis emerged from the ashes of darkness and ravaged everything in its path, consuming it all!_ That voice came from a silver-colored teenage hedgehog in navy, white, and aqua boots, standing on a tall building, observing everywhere from up here. His golden eyes glared over the horizon as he felt pain and dread.

_Why did this happened?_ He continued. _Where did this monster come from? Nobody knows. Nobody could answer me directly. Their only answer was; it began from a freak accident, an experiment project gone horribly wrong! Since before I was born, Iblis has been terrorizing the whole planet, destroying everything and everyone it touched. No one, and I mean NO ONE has been able to stop it! The heroes were gone and we're the only ones left._

The hedgehog took flight using his psychic aquamarine energy and looked around the city some more. He witnessed the shop burning away, people ran for their lives, and more fire monsters stalked in the streets. A flame creature was about to attack a helpless man. "Aah!" He screamed, shielding himself.

The silver hedgehog stopped it by throwing an object with his mind and swiping it. (The cyan circle on his palm glowed.) The man ran away, unscathed. The hedgehog continued soaring.

_Life was a miserable struggle. We lived in a period of fear and despair. Because of that infernal monster we truly could not defeat, Earth was at its final days! Everyday I keep wishing; is there any hope at all?_

He closed his eyes, in sadness.

"Silver! Silver!" A small voice piped up.

The hedgehog turned around, a female flying squirrel in a pink suit flew to him. "What is it, Felix?" He asked.

"It's HIM! He's appeared again!" The squirrel pointed over the distance.

"Where?" Silver asked.

"At the plaza! Israel said he saw lava forming there. He believes that it's gonna rise up and strike again!"

"Then we gotta hurry or more innocent people will perish! Let's go!" He and his friend flew off in a instant.

The two soared over the city ruins. Along the way, they see more people are suffering and crying. It was a gruesome scene. Silver and Felix looked at them with sympathy. They could not bear to see them suffer anymore. There were children crying too. _Those poor people, the poor children..._ Silver thought. _This...this isn't right! I can't bear to see them like this! I've got to do something! Even if it costs me my life, I will defeat Iblis! I have to defeat Iblis!_ He looked up and clenched his fist with determination.

Felix interrupted his mind, "we're here!"

Silver snapped out of his dream and saw that they've arrived at the plaza. Indeed, there's lava flowing at a large crater!

"Wow, you weren't kidding, Felix!" Silver said. People screamed as they escaped from the upcoming danger. Another flying squirrel in a blue suit flew up to the heroes. Must be Felix's twin brother.

"Rex!" Felix said.

"Felix!" Said her brother.

Through the fleeing crowd, a young man in his early twenties walked toward the plaza. He had long auburn hair tied in a ponytail down to his waist, a scar and bandage on his cheeks, white headband, robot arm, and a scabbard carrying a sword on his back. He sensed the tension rising.

From somewhere, a magenta female cheetah in a Asian dress launched from the buildings and landed on one on her feet. She looked down at the molting lava and gasped. "This just gets better and better." She said sarcastically. Behind her is a swarm of flying flame creatures. They've been shot down by a pack of bullets from below. They came from a large cyborg creature with an echidna head with a mechanical red-eye. He has a machine gun for a hand. He looked determined to battle to the end. Lastly, a panda in a cowboy hat and lasso came into the scene, riding on a...ostrich? The lava to stirred and it roused up as it began to formed. The heroes gasped in alarm.

"Come on out, you MONSTER!" Silver yelled in a challenging way "Show your ugly face!"

The panda's ostrich chittered uneasily. "Steady, Girl..." He soothed it, round up his lasso for battle.

The cyborg reloaded his hand gun. The cheetah girl set out her sparkling flowers as her weapons. The man pulled his sword from the scabbard. "Silver, Fuchsia, Rex, Felix, Tiny, and Dodger," he addressed to his friends. "If you feel like backing down and running away, now's a good time to do it!"

"Are you kidding me, Israel?" Silver responded firmly. "I won't back down when there's evil going on!"

"Me neither!" Fuchsia the Cheetah added.

"Tiny never runs away from a fight!" Tiny the cyborg gritted in a deep manner.

"We'll fight!" Felix asserted.

"All the way!" Proclaimed Rex

"I'll send this lava beast back to the ranch!" Dodger the Panda affirmed.

"That's the spirit! Good!" Israel said, gripping the hilt.

The lava had transformed into a giant evil molten golem, Iblis! It roared menacingly so loud it shook the earth! The heroes prepared to fight the colossal devil. Iblis threw a giant fireball! Silver and the flying squirrels quickly dodged it! It hit a building and set it on fire! Fuchsia launched off from the building and threw her flower petals at the lava golem. It only fazed it. It slammed its huge claws on the ground. Israel dodged them and sliced one hand with his sword. The monster roared in pain and swiped its claw at him. Israel dodged by leaping high and grabbed the pole. He swung and ran around. Iblis spat out fireballs, the squirrel twins deflected them with their armlets and powerful tails. Silver's eyes glowed in aquamarine as he elevated the benches and tables at Iblis! They broke as they hit it. Dodger lassoed its rocky horns and hang on to his rope, trying to pull it back. He grunted in effort. Iblis lifted its head, pulling away the panda. "Whoa!" Dodger exclaimed. He literally hung on. Fuchsia threw more petal bombs. They exploded, doing minimum damage. Suddenly, Iblis spat out its fiery minions, footing and flying! The heroes gasped!

"Iblis Minions!" Israel shouted.

The fiery demons surrounded the heroes.

"We got to fight back!" Fuchsia said.

"You think?!" Tiny barked. The cheetah kicked them off while the echidna cyborg blasted them away. The Iblis birds fluttered around Rex and Felix. Their backs touched.

"I'll take this side, you take the other!" Rex said.

"Which side?" Felix asked.

Silver fought off the birds with his psychic energy and threw another psychic wave against Iblis. It breathed fire across the buildings! Silver eluded them, "whoa!"

The buildings were on fire! One building caved in and began falling...right on Fuchsia!

"Fuchsia, LOOK OUT!" Silver screamed. Fuchsia screamed as she shielded herself helplessly.

Then, Israel came to her rescue, slashing the building in two! The two pieces crashed down side by side of the cheetah, unscathed. The shock received from the ground was so intense, glass shards mounted up in the air, threatening to slice and dice anyone in the way! The squirrels bounced off them. Israel swiped them off. Fuchsia dodged the piking sharp glasses by backflipping. Silver elevated some of the glass to Iblis. "You wretched-" He screamed in anger.

Dodger climbed on the rope and reached the golem's head. He ran on it as he was going to do something risky. The friends on ground continued fighting the Iblis minions. A flame bird knocked Felix out of flight! She screamed as she plunges, her brother caught her. "Don't worry, I got you!"

Silver deflected the flame bombs by Iblis, wrecking everything in sight. Israel, Fuchsia, and Tiny fought of the Iblis creatures and swarm around them.

"Shoot! Why do they keep multiplying?!" Israel grunted in frustration.

Tiny shot out his last bullets. "Gonna need backup!" He shouted. A creature crawled on him.

"Get off!" Fuchsia cried as she tried to toss out the crawling demons. The Iblis minions ganged up on them like nagging children on nannies.

Iblis spat out another fireball! Silver stopped it with his ESP and sent it back on its body. It roared in pain and annoyance. It swung out its arm, Silver quickly dodged it but the tips of the claws scratched his snow-white fur crest. He yelled in pain. He clenched his chest but remained in the air. He confronted face-to-face with the fiery devil. His infuriated yellow eyes glared at its red eyes in vengeance who also glared back. Suddenly, Dodger poked its eye out with his spurs. The monster roared in pain while Dodger hopped off and landed directly on his ostrich. Then, the three footing friends blasted, slashed, and rose-kicked off away the piling demons, vanquishing them to flames. Iblis was in stunned state.

"Quickly, Silver! Now's your chance!" Dodger yelled.

"Right!" Silver said. He flew down to Tiny who modified his arm into a bigger hollow cannon. Silver's body boosted and was glowing with overwhelming psychic energy! "Let's do it!" He blared as he rolled up in a ball and positioned himself in Tiny's cannon. Tiny's red eye aimed and locked target in Iblis' mouth.

"ARRGGHH! HERE COMES THE SILVER BULLET!" The cyborg shouted as he launched the glowering "bearing ball" to the monster's mouth.

He zapped into its mouth, as Iblis shut it, Silver launched his devastating attack, Psychic Bomb! The golem's body began to glow.

"Get out of there, Silver!" Fuchsia shouted.

The monster roared in agony. Silver burst from its eye before it exploded to magma droplets. It rained back to to crater. Silver and the heroes approached over the edge and observed in caution, waiting for something else to happen.

Soon, the lava golem was nothing but a large pool of molten lava. Once they released that the danger is over, the gang lowered their guards and settled down. Tiny wiped his forehead of sweat. Fuchsia sighed deep in relief. Dodger rounded up his lasso and petted his ostrich. Israel placed his sword back into the scabbard. "Looks like we stopped it...for now." He decided.

"Huh! Scumbag!" Tiny barked, cocking his hand gun. The squirrel twins cheered up and down and slapped hands. "Yeah!

"Alright, victory!" Dodger applauded as his ostrich squawked in joy.

"Phew! That was tough! It was close but we made it!" Tiny said.

"Yeah! We're cool!" Rex said.

"Nothing can stomp us!" Felix added.

"Not even Iblis!" Fuchsia said, brushing her fur.

Everyone except Silver celebrated their tiny victory. He peered over the lava from the edge and looked at it in melancholy. "It's just gonna rise from the lava again," he said softly, shaking his head in despondency.

"Silver, what's the matter?" Israel asked over.

"Yeah, we won!" Rex added.

"You should be satisfied that we demolished its butt!" Tiny said.

"What's the point in all this?" Silver responded hopelessly. "It'll never end!"

"Calm down, Silver," Fuchsia consoled, rubbing his shoulders. He passed off her hands.

"No! Every time we defeat Iblis, it'll just rise up from the ashes and kill again! Then more innocent people are danger! What's the point of even trying when we all know perfectly well that we can't ever stop it?!"

"Silver, I know this is frustrating-" Israel began to say.

"Frustrating?" Silver replied back. "I can think of a better word than frustrating for this!" He pointed out the ruined city behind him.

"I know, brother, I know," Israel said. "But we gotta have faith! We can't just give up! We gotta keep trying."

"I hate to say this, Israel," Fuchsia put in. "But Silver's right! I can't keep doing this!"

"Me neither!" Tiny said. "Iblis ain't ever gonna die! He'll just keep regenerating!"

"Yeah, no matter how hard we tried, we just can't get rid of him!" Rex said.

"We might as give up," Felix said sadly.

"I'm as lost as the next guy," Dodger, off his ostrich, put in sadly. "I just don't know what to suggested."

The friends huddled up in a sympathy party. They are in the brink of despair and lost will to fight back again. Israel looked at his desponded animal friends in pity. He scratched his head when suddenly a thought came to him. "Guys," he noted to them. "I may have found a way." The animals looked up.

"I have a plan that could erase Iblis forever without any sacrifices." The man stated certainly.

They suddenly looked interest.

"What kind of plan?" They all asked at the same time.

"Follow me and I'll show you," Israel said turning around. He took off. The animals looked at each other in question and then followed him.

Israel led the heroes throughout the ruined city. He hopped on one car to another and did a somersault on a sign pole. With tiny hope and curiosity, Silver and his heroes followed their skilled optimistic human friend all the way to a dark alley. Israel suddenly came to a halt.

"Stop!" He ordered. The animals screeched to a halt. He pointed to the east direction. "This way." He directed. His friends went into a dark brick ally. To their disappointment, they discovered nothing but a brick wall.

"It's a dead end," Fuchsia exclaimed.

"What's up?" Silver demanded.

Israel pointed down. "Look down there." The heroes examined the ground and spotted the sewer entrance.

Silver plopped the lid open with his foot. Israel signaled him to go down. One by one, the heroes jumped into the hole. Fuchsia lastly stood there hesitantly, not willing to go in there. "A sewer? You're kidding, right?" She said.

"Do you wanna know my plan or don't you?" Israel asked.

Fuchsia sighed in consent and slipped into the hole. Israel jumped in next. The heroes were inside the sewer when Israel directed them to another room. "Over there." His friends followed him to a room full of science stuff. Must be his secret laboratory.

"Whoa!" His friends exclaimed.

"What is this place?" Silver asked.

"This is where I spend my free time, making something that could be useful," Israel answered. "Lately, I've been working on this project here." He pointed to a particular machine with some kind of portal hole. The animals gazed at it with wonder.

"What exactly are we looking at?" Fuchsia asked.

"That is my trump card," Israel answered.

"What does it do?" Dodger asked.

"This machine will allow us to travel through the time and space. It'll transport you to any era you want."

"For real?" Felix said.

"Any duration period you want?" Rex questioned.

"Any period of all time," Israel answered.

"Cool," said the twins.

"I see. But Israel, how is time traveling going to help us solve our Iblis crisis for good?" Silver inquired.

"By stopping it from being born from the beginning, of course." Israel answered.

Silver and the pack perked up interested. "Huh?"

"Everything has an origin, even Iblis. Like a tree from an acorn or an eagle from an egg. To change the future, you must change the past. Go back to the beginning when Earth was peaceful and prevent this disaster from happening by eliminating the problem."

The animals gasped, impressed.

"No way!" Silver exclaimed.

"That's impossible." Rex said.

"Yeah, no one has ever travel through time before." Dodger added.

"Look, I know you're trying to help, Boss, but what you said sounds like a bunch of baloney." Tiny put in.

"On the contrary," Israel said brightly. "Nothing's impossible anymore."

Fuchsia examined machine. "Can this machine really let you travel through time?" She asked.

"Hmm-hmm," Israel answered.

"So let get me get this straight," Silver put in. "If I prevented this Iblis seed from being born, will our world be saved?"

Israel nodded surely.

"Wow!" For the first time ever, Silver felt light and actually found some hope.

"That's so cool!" Said the twins.

"Not bad!" Fuchsia said.

"You know, this could actually work!" Tiny said brightly. Dodger nodded, "yeah!"

"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's do it!" Silver exclaimed. "Come on, turn this thing on!"

Israel grabbed Silver by the quills, "whoa there, Silver! Hold your horses! You can't just go running like that!"

"Why not? We need to get to past and change the future!" Silver said.

"I know, believe me, I'm determined to do this as much as you do! But you need some research! Find out the facts about Iblis!" Israel said wisely.

"Research? We don't have time, Israel," Silver insisted. "Our world depends on it!"

"If you jump the gun, Silver, things will turn from bad to worst. Time traveling is dangerous. Your actions in the past will not only affect your future, but your birth as well. Any wrong move and you might never exist!" Israel said gravely. That stopped Silver in his tracks. His stomach lurched from his words. The gang gulped.

"You won't...exist?" Dodger said timidly.

"How scary!" Exclaimed the twins.

"If we're gonna do this right, we need to gather some data on this Iblis." Fuchsia said.

"But how?" Rex said. "Nobody knows squat about Iblis."

"I recommend the library," Israel suggested. "It may give you facts about this monster's origin or whereabouts of the happening."

"Where is that boss?" Tiny asked.

"I have no idea," Israel replied light-headedly. The friends collapsed to the floor sheepishly.

"Come on, Israel!" Silver protested. "This is serious!"

"Silver, you worry too much," Israel said. "You keep your mind calm and clear or else you're gonna fall and hit rock bottom."

"Huh?"

"It's an expression. You'll figure it out."

"Come on, there's no time to lose," Fuchsia said. "We better find that library." She, Silver, Tiny, and the squirrel twins set off on a mission. Dodger remained here. Israel watched them go.

So, Silver and his friends travel through the ruined city for the public library.

"Do you think that machine Israel built will really work?" Felix asked.

"Can we really travel through time?" Rex added.

"I don't know," Fuchsia replied. "I mean it sounds risky but it also sounds a little far out. Time traveling, whoever heard such a thing?"

"I still say it sounds crazy!" Tiny said. "If we go any further of a gamble, we might landed into deep hot water."

"It's worth a try," Silver put in. "Crazy or not, it's better than no plan at all. I'd rather do anything to save our world than do nothing at all."

"You never know unless you try," Fuchsia added.

"Let's just find the library and get this over with," Tiny said.

"Hey I think I see it! Down there!" Rex said, pointing downward. Over there is the public library.

"There it is, the public library," Silver said. As his footing friends approached the library entrance, the three flying heroes landed in front.

"So this is it, a hall of books and knowledge." Tiny commented. "Heh, even as a small prototype, I'd never even learned to read."

"I hope the books inside are still ok," Felix said.

"It better be worth the trip because I think I lost feeling of my feet and legs." Fuchsia said, hand on hip.

"Well, let's head inside," Silver said. He tried the handles of the doors, but with the lock and chains, they won't budge. "It's locked." He turned to his friends.

"Great," Fuchsia said.

"Now what?" The twins asked.

Tiny aim his arm cannon at the door. "Stand back." The gang stepped aside. The cannon warmed up, whining and blasted the doors open in a flash! The smoke at the entrance cleared up as the opening to the library welcomed them as an invitation.

"Hmm! Proceed!" Tiny said, attending them with his mechanical arm. He trod ahead inside.

Although they seen Tiny's massive cyber action many times, they were still unused to his dangerous performance. Fuchsia gulped.

"Whoa!" Silver exclaimed.

"And that was just set on to his level-1!" Felix said.

"Glad he's on our side!" Rex added. The four friends checked in the library.

Inside the library, everything is unsurprisingly ancient and dusty, like nobody's been here for years. There were cobwebs everywhere too. The gang looked around.

"This is it?" Felix asked.

"What a dump!" Rex exclaimed.

"It looked like no one's been around for years!" Fuchsia said. "Or eons in that matter!" She peered at the bookshelves. "These books looked like they've never even been touched!"

Silver walked around the tables down the aisles. "First thing we need to do here is find out about this Iblis thing and when did it happen." He said.

"Right, let's check it out!" Fuchsia said.

"Let's take our time," Felix said. She hovered over the shelves.

Silver and his flying squirrel friend browsed around the books.

"We need a book about Iblis," the hedgehog muttered softly. He pulled out a blue book, "let's see...'Book of Atlases', no." He found a green one, "'How Does Magma Flow?' Nah, I don't think so." He withdrew a red one, "'Planet of the Ages'." He shrugged. He then found a magazine. "Hmm, what's this?" He picked it up and took a peek through some pages, but when he got to the length-fold page, he gawked at it. "Gah! Ai-yi-yi!" His eyes widened in stupefaction.

"What is it, Silver?" Rex asked.

"Uh? N-n-nothing! It's nothing, really!" Silver quickly answered. He tossed the magazine away.

Rex presented him a large thick book, lifting it with effort. "Hey, how about this one?" He grunted. He threw down the text which slammed on the floor, giving out excesses of dust, tickling Silver's nose. He coughed and started to sneeze.

"Aa-Aa-Aa...Ah-Choo!" He snuffled and sneezed some more. Rex flinched from the sneezes. "Achoo! ACHOO! ACHOO!" Silver sniffled and rubbed his nose. Rex perked up. Silver sighed. "ACHOO!" He bursted out one last sneeze that sent him flying backgrounds and crashing into the bookshelves.

Fuchsia and Felix heard the noise and rushed to see what's going on. Rex ran to his side. Silver laid there in a pile of books. Some more books fell.

"You alright, Silver?" The squirrel boy asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." Silver answered painfully. Another book bopped on his head. "Ouch!" He groaned in pain, rubbing smartly.

The girls approached the scene.

"What on Earth?" Fuchsia began to say. "Silver, just what are you doing?"

"Shh! Quiet!" Felix shushed. "Don't you know it's a library?"

Silver got up from the books and dusted himself off when Tiny came in and joined them. "Hey, you guys!"

His friends peered at his attention.

"You'll never guess what I found," the cyborg animal announced.

"What?" The friends replied altogether.

"Follow me!" Tiny headed toward another area. His friends followed him.

They proceeded through a quiet hallway until they came across a door that said, "PRIVATE, KEEP OUT! TOP SECRET".

"Voila!" Tiny introduced it.

Silver tried the knob, it too was unlocked. He used ESP to unlock it. He opened the door. Inside is some kind of research database laboratory.

"Whoa!" Said everyone. Silver and the twins entered.

"I gotta hand it to you, Tiny," Fuchsia said. "You really saved us the trouble of finding it. Great job!"

"Thanks!" Tiny replied.

"Look at this! There must be loads of data here!" Silver exclaimed.

Felix approached the computer. He turned it on, the screen requested a password. "We gotta find a way to hack into it." Rex said.

Silver moved over to the computer and used his psychic ability to access the home screen. At no second flat, dozens of data popped up on the screen. The gang oohed. "Look at all those pictures!" Felix said.

Silver studied the pictures on screen and noticed a large photograph of the lava monster, Iblis. "Hey, I see it!" He exclaimed. "Iblis is in there! This is exactly just what we need!"

"Finally!" Tiny added.

"Wow! We hit the jackpot!" Fuchsia said, satisfied. "At this rate, we might learn everything about this Iblis thing before the world ends!"

As they examined the screen pictures, another photograph of the Station Square still in one piece viewed on the top left.


	4. Present Day

[Present Day]

It was very peaceful here right now at Station Square. The sky was blue, the air was clean, and people are very happy. So Iblis haven't attack it...yet. The citizens were going at their usual businesses, driving to work, walking on pedestals traffic, (one man shouted from car, "hey! Get off the road, man!") picnicking in parks, shopping, chatting, etc.

Here at the elementary school, the children were chatting nearly noisily in the classroom. Today was the last day of school. Summer vacation will soon start for them after working so hard on schoolwork. A paper airplane flew by. Their teacher, Mr. Stewart, also government spy was writing on the chalk. He looked back. "Settle down, class. We only have 10 minutes of school," he said. "Let's focus on last minute decimals."

Christopher Thorndyke sat at the desk table with his good pals, Frances, Danny, and Helen.

"So whatcha gonna do for the summer?" Danny asked.

"I'm going camping with my family," Helen answered.

"I'm going to learn some world languages," Frances said.

"That sounds boring, Frances," Chris opined.

"That's Frances for you," Helen put in. "The queen of no-fun!" She giggled.

"I beg your pardon?" Frances retorted, piqued. The boys giggled.

"Chris? Danny? Girls? Keep it down there," Mr. Stewart said.

"Yes, sir. Sorry, Mr. Stewart," the kids responded in unison.

Suddenly, the principal came into the classroom. "Mr. Stewart? I need to borrow you for a moment."

"What is it?" Mr. Stewart stepped away from the chalkboard. "Okay, class, I'm gonna do something for few minutes, so meanwhile, you can just chill since this is the last day. And you can watch some television." He turned on the TV before he left. The news were on right now. The kids watched it.

They commented:

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Where did Mr. Stewart go?"

"This should be good!"

Chris and his friends watched the news from their desks as well. "I wonder what's that all about?" Danny asked.

"Is it trouble again?" Frances asked.

"I bet it is," Helen added.

"Hmm..." Chris examined.

On TV, a red haired lady in a news reporter suit and microphone appeared somewhere in the woods along the railroad tracks. "This is Scarlet Garcia, reporting live at Mystic Ruins. Earlier today, a freight cargo train, scheduled to the Star City train station, was transmitting through the woods to deliver goods and technology equipment when suddenly, it got hijacked by terrorists and taken all the people inside hostage!"

The kids gasped.

"Terrorists?" Frances gasped.

"Oh no!" Helen cried.

"I bet they're gonna steal all the money and valuables inside that train!" Danny stated.

"That wouldn't be good!" Chris said.

On TV, the train was speeding through the tracks, no doubt it was under extortion. Out there presently, a helicopter was viewing everything from the air. At the Thorndyke Manor, Cream The Rabbit, Cheese, and her mother, Vanilla were watching the news too. Chuck Thorndyke, Tanaka, and Ella were in the living room with them, also watching the events.

"That terrorist we identified was none other than, you guessed it! Dr. Eggman!" Scarlet announced.

The folks gasped. Eggman, in control of the driver's compartment, grinned and laughed evilly.

"Oh my goodness!" Ella exclaimed.

"That crazed maniac again!" Chuck exclaimed.

"Mama! That big bad meanie always scares!" Cream whimpered, her holding her mother in intimidation. Cheese squeaked frighteningly. Vanilla held her back in comfort, "me too, dear. Me too!" Tanaka gasped.

The citizens of Station Square witnessed the train heist event from the huge television screen at the plaza. Some watched it from the television store. Others watch it at home.

"HA HA HA! Greetings, World!" Eggman blared. "As you all witnessed, I've just taken over a gold mined train! These babies loaded in the cargo boxcars will be of great use to me! I will get rich and then take over your world and create an Eggman Empire! And there's nothing you can do to stop me! HA HA!"

His robots appeared in the screen, scrunched up to their boss. "Yeah, nothing can stop us now!" Decoe agreed.

"We're riding the locomotive, baby.." Bocoe put in, giving out peace outs. "Of success that is! HA HA HA!" The robots laughed deviously.

Eggman pushed them off with annoyance. "Get off! Quit lollygagging and get back to work! Steer the engines!"

"Yes, Doctor!" The robots responded and worked around the engines.

"Hrrrh! 'Train of Success'," Eggman mocked. "Lamest line ever!" He turned back to the camera and cleared throat. "Anyway, for those who dare to oppose me, (especially that blue rat) try and foil my evil plans and save theses people, and there will suffer severe consequences." He affirmed darkly.

The people including a conductor trapped inside the cargo car whimpered as they are prisoned by an evil doctor genius!

"Things look bad down there!" Scarlet announced. "Who can stop this maniacal madman from diabolical domination? Who can save these innocent people inside that train?"

"I know who...there's only one cool guy who save the day..." Chris said, faithfully.

A pair of running legs scrambled through the grass. The blue blur zoomed across the railroad tracks at high speed. It zoomed past Scarlet, creating a breeze. She looked around. "Could it be..."

The blue blur circled up a very large tree and landed on top of it, taking a good view. The cameraman took a closer look. Sonic the Hedgehog stood there like Superman posing except without the cape.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Sonic The Hedgehog has arrived to the RESCUE!" Scarlet announced excitedly. Sonic smirked. The crowd cheered. The folks at the Manor cheered. "Sonic!" Cream said, excitedly. Cheese cheered.

"Sonic to the rescue!" Chuck said.

The children in the classroom praised as well!

"All right, Sonic's here!" Frances extolled.

"Oh, he's so dreamy!" Helen said admiringly.

"Go, Sonic!" Danny cheered.

"I knew you'd come, Sonic!" Chris said, smiling. "My hero!"

Sonic stood on the top for a while and gazed at the uncontrollably speeding train. He grinned, "looks like I got a train to catch! Hang on, guys! I'm coming!" He launched off from the tree and as soon as he touched ground, he dashed off a the speed of sound in pursuit. He raced up the train tracks, catching up with the train. When the captured people on board noticed him, they beamed with joy. Sonic waved to them, letting them know that he'll save them. He sped up, ran up boulder, and landed on top of the cars as the train was passing through the lake. Decoe looked out the window and noticed Sonic's reflection on the water. "Oh! Doctor!" He warned. "It's Sonic! He's gaining on us!"

"Not that irritating hedgehog again!" Eggman snarled. "E-93, Go!"

As Sonic hurriedly ran over the cars, a robot with a cowboy hat shaped head sprang up from the leading cargo car and confronted Sonic who was caught by surprise. "Wha!"

"Hee Hee Hee! Say hello to Botch Cassidy!" Eggman derided.

"Botch Cassidy?" Sonic repeated.

"ATTACK!" The robot set out its gun at the blue hedgehog. Sonic charged at it. It squirted out black slippery oil on the floor which caused Sonic to slip and tumble of the car! "Yipe!"

The kids at the classroom gasped. The folks cried in alarm. Sonic grabbed the edge and hung in there. He struggled to pull up.

"Oh my! The robot has given Sonic the slip! He's literally on edge!" Scarlet announced.

Sonic grunted as he effortfully hung on, trying to climb back on. The train were now traveling by a cliff. The robot approached the hanging hedgehog and stamp its foot on his hand who yelped in pain.

"We gotta do something!" Cream said.

"I hope Tails gets there in time," Chuck said propitiously.

"You were on the wrong track, hedgehog! and I believe this is your last stop!" Botch Cassidy said and stomped off Sonic off the train! He fell down screaming as he plunges 50 feet below to the ground of doom! Suddenly, the X-Tornado caught Sonic just in time.

"Phew! Thanks, Tails!" He said, eyeing his foxy little friend in the cockpit.

"No problem!" Miles "Tails" Prowler responded.

"That was close!" Amy Rose added. "How dare that those idiots try to hurt my Sonic!"

"Let's go! We gotta save these people!" Sonic commanded.

"Right!" Tails and Amy responded together. The X Tornado took off at great speed.

"Good news, the X-Tornado has came to Sonic's aid and together, the dauntless trio take on the conniving Dr. Eggman!" Scarlet informed.

"Go Sonic! Go Tails and Amy!" The children cheered.

Eggman and the robots laughed nastily. "HO HO HO! Now that I got rid that bozo...Bokkun, set off the bombs now!" Eggman ordered through the walkie-talkie. "You heard of 'bridge the gap'...now it's time to GAP THAT BRIDGE! HA HA HA!"

"Huh?" Bokkun was confused by that expression.

"BLOW up that bridge, you idiot!" Eggman ordered, annoyed.

"Oh! Why didn't you say so?!" Bokkun snapped bitterly. He pressed the button, but the bridge did not blow up! "What?!" Bokkun cried as he rapidly pressed the button.

Eggman noticed that the bridge is still in one piece. "Eh! No explosion?! How?!" He cried in shock. The robots looked outside their window.

"Bokkun! What's going on? What is the problem?!" The doctor demanded.

Bokkun frantically looked around the bridge beams, "I don't know!" He gasped in shock. The cables linked to the bombs were snagged off! "Doctor! The wires' been cut!"

"WHAT?!"

"Somebody cut the wires! Who could have done this?!" The plum colored imp fluttered around in tantrum.

Underneath the rail bridge, a long red tail was sticking out. A red echidna lifted himself up on the top of the railroad bridge. "Phew! Just in time! I didn't think I would make it here!" He said, raising his spiked fist. He's the one who cut the wires with his sharp knuckles! "Now that's taken care of, time to pay the doctor a visit!" He saw the X-Tornado zoomed by. He smirked. "This time, I will be the one to finish off Eggman! I'm gonna mop the floor with your stupid smirk, Sonic!" Behind him, another train in the opposite rail track approached vertically in his direction. Without even looking, Knuckles leaped high before the train could run over him! He backflipped and landed hard on it. He punched his knuckles in the metal to hold on. Above, a G.U.N. helicopter arrived over the train. The door opened and a group of soldiers dove out to rescue the hostages. Topaz and her partner, Rouge The Bat. "There it is," Topaz said. "That's where we need to free the hostages!"

"And empty the cargo car," Rouge added. "Otherwise we don't want to let that go to waste!"

"You can think about money and gold AFTER we rescue these people," Topaz implied. "Have you got your parachute?"

"No need to worry about me, I'm a girl with bat wings!"

"Let's go!" She and her partner skydived at 75 feet! As soon as they were near the train, the soldiers opened up their parachutes, (Rouge, her wings) and landed safely on the cargo cars. "We've landed on the Radical Express," Topaz reported through her walkie talkie. "We cutting up the roof to free these hostages. We need a rescue crew down the Mystic Ruins forest by the railroad tracks!"

"Understood! The Speed Squad will be over in two shakes of a dog's tail!" Sam Speed responded. "Attention all units! Initiate the race and rescue mission now! We've got a train to chase! There's no time to lose!" He and the other members drivers got into their race cars and drove off on a mission.

The X Tornado appeared over the train and Sonic landed on it. He joined the G.U.N. crew. "Hey there what's up?" He greeted Rouge.

"Hey there, big blue," Rouge greeted back.

"We need to find a way to reach these hostages inside," Topaz said.

Precipitately, the train came in opposite direction and Knuckles flew over from there to here.

"Knuckles!" Sonic, Topaz, and Rouge said all together.

"Leave that to me!" The red echidna said, raising his fist. He punched down the metal and began ripping a hole on the roof.

The people looked up and saw the hole opening up. They exclaimed in hope. Bokkun noticed the heroes on the train. "Doctor, you got company!" He warned through the walkie talkie.

"Argh! These people are getting on my nerves! Botch Cassidy, attack!" Eggman ordered.

The cowboy robot again emerged from the headcar and confronted the heroes. Topaz exclaimed in alarm. "This train ain't big enough for the bunch of us!" The robot blurted out. He aimed his shooters at them, "lose or draw, give or take!"

Rouge and Sonic opposed to it.

"Go take care of robot! I've got this!" Knuckles said, puncturing a bigger rift.

"Right!" Sonic and Rouge chorused. Together they battled the killer robot. Rouge screw-kicked while Sonic tried to buzzsawed it to pierce its armor.

"Come on, Sonic!" Chris cheered from the classroom. "You can do it!"

"Don't let Eggman push you around!" Helen praised.

"Come on, guys!" Cream cheered.

"You must win this, my friends!" Vanilla praised. "I know you can!"

"FIRE!" Eggman shouted.

Botch Cassidy's eyes glowed as he fired out some rockets at Sonic and Rouge who quickly dodged. "HA! You missed!" They chorused.

"Wasn't aiming for you!" Botch riposted.

"Huh?" Sonic and Rouge looked over there the horizon.

The rockets headed straight for the exact same bridge and blew up the explosives, creating a giant gap between the railroad transition! The heroes gasped in horror.

"Oh no!" Amy cried.

"That's not fair!" Sonic cried.

"HA HA HA! End of the line for you!"

"What have you done?!" Bocoe cried in horror.

"If they go down, we go down too!" Decoe cried, panicking.

"Relax! Not if we escape first!" Eggman said. He evacuated the driver's compartment in his Eggmobile. His robots clung on to escape. "We'll watch it from view. Time for the end of Sonic!" He blared, menacingly.

"Oh my gosh!" Scarlet cried in shock. "Eggman has blown up the bridge! And the train is coming to a close! How will our heroes get out there fast?!"

The people at the Station Square murmured in fear. The folks at home gasped in perturbation.

"Oh dear!" Ella cried. "Those poor people!"

"Somebody needs to stop that mad man!" Tanaka said.

"The bridge is gone!" Cream cried in worry. "What are they going to do, Mama?" Cheese chirped in fret.

"Don't worry, Creamy Dear!" Vanilla assured her. "They'll get out of there."

"Sonic and his friends always gets themselves out of dangerous pickles like this!" Chuck added. "I hope."

"Hurry, Knuckles! There isn't much time!" Topaz urged Knuckles.

"Almost there!" He replied. He jumped into the car. The hostages were happy to see him. "Knuckles!"

"Hang on to your mitts, people! I'm busting you out of here!" Knuckles ensured them. Then he heard sirens from outside. "Must be the S-Team! Just in time!"

Sam and his squad raced up beside the rushing train. "Attention all units! Move into diamond position! Our safety net must be expanded wide enough to make the fabric soft and bouncy for the hostages to land." He ordered.

Meanwhile, the G.U.N. soldiers were recovering the loot from the cargo cars and loading them to Mr. Stewart's speeding van who also arrived to the train chase scene. Eggman didn't notice them because he's too busy watching the fight. But Bocoe noticed them and tried to warn the doctor, "Doctor..."

"Not now, Bocoe!" Eggman replied.

"But Doctor..."

"I SAID NOT NOW!" Eggman snapped. "Whatever it is, it can wait! Go Cassidy!"

Sonic and Rouge panted as they faced the cowboy robot.

"This guy's too much!" Rouge panted.

"There's gotta be a way to bring him down!" Sonic breathed.

"Hey Sonic!" Tails called. Sonic looked up. "I'll throw you a ring now!" Tails called.

"Great!" Sonic said.

"HA! If you do, the hostages down there will get hurt too!" Eggman threatened.

"Not anymore!" Topaz called.

"Huh?!" Eggman looked around him. The robots looked as well.

All of the hostages are free! They landed safely into the net!

"ALRIGHT!" The children chorused.

"YES!" Said everyone at the manor.

"What?!" Eggman cried.

"And that's not all!" Rouge added. She thumbed over at the end of the train. The bad guys peered at her direction. The soldiers have collected at the money and equipment to Mr. Stewart's getaway van!

"That was I trying to tell you, Doctor," Bocoe blurted out meekly.

"NOOO!" Eggman cried, holding his head in frustration.

"Yes! Time to finish this!" Sonic declared, confidently. Tails launched a ring to Sonic and he began to feel power inside him.

"Good luck, tiger!" Rouge called as she, Topaz, and the soldiers escaped off the train.

Sonic greatly launched at Botch Cassidy at full power! He pierced its body and the robot exploded to pieces!

The children cheered in the classroom.

"I knew Sonic could it!" Chris said joyously.

"Hooray!" Frances cheered.

"Alright!" Danny whooped.

"My hero!" Helen said.

Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Chuck, Ella, and Tanaka whooped for joy.

"Hooray! Sonic wins again!" Cream cheered. Cheese chirped.

"Great job!" Vanilla said.

"Blue power!" Chuck rooted.

"Thank goodness no one is hurt!" Ella said.

"That's the way of the warrior!" Tanaka said.

"He's done it again, ladies and gentlemen!" Scarlet announced. "Sonic wins again!" The people of Station Square emblazoned with joy and triumph.

Sonic looked back at Eggman and smirked. "Game over, Egghead! I win!" He declared.

Amy sighed dreamily. "Ahh...my hero!"

"Looks like you saved the day again," Knuckles said. Although he was disappointed that he didn't beat his rival to the robot, he was proud of him. "Later!" He launched off the opening of the train and glided away.

"Mark my words, Sonic the Hedgehog! I'm not finished with you yet!" Eggman roared as he angrily retreated. Bokkun hurriedly followed them. "Hey don't leave me behind!" He flew away.

The train was coming close to the end of the bridge!

"Sonic, the bridge-" Tails warned.

"I know," Sonic said.

"You must run for it!" Amy informed.

"Relax, I know what I'm doing."

Suddenly, the train took the plunge...and Sonic is still on it! Tails and Amy gasped in fear. Sonic waited confidently as he kept his balance on the falling balanced. "Now this is it!" He said abruptly. He sped up on the train! "I just like to make a dramatic entrance!" He successfully escaped from the pit of doom before the train exploded from the ditch!

* * *

The school bell rang. The last day of school was finally over. Summer vacation has began. Kids ran out noisily excited from the classrooms to the hallways. Chris approached his locker to get his things. As he opened his locker, his friends approached him.

"Hey, Chris," Danny said. "Me, Helen, and Frances are attending Mr. Stewart's fun camp for the summer. You going?"

"Love too but no can do," Chris replied. "I won't be here because we're visiting my relatives in Solaropolis for half the summer. My dad's brother works for the solar-powered electronics company!"

"Hey, that's right!" Frances said.

"I presume your uncle is Robert Thorndyke, the president of the Thorndyke Solarpower Industries?"

"Yep, and my aunt's a supermodel! I haven't seen my cousin in a long time but I'm pretty sure that he and I will have some common ground. I'm totally looking forward to it." Chris said, putting on his backpack.

"I'm sure you will have fun," Danny replied.

"Take care, Chris," Frances said.

"See you in September," Helen added.

"Goodbye, guys! Have a good summer!"

Back at the Station Square plaza, Sonic, Amy, and Tails were getting lots of attention from the exulting crowd from the walking X Tornado. Amy was holding on to Sonic.

They praised;

"There he is!"

"My hero!"

"You're the best!"

"Sonic Rules!" A sign held out.

"Awesome, guys!"

Sonic waved back. "Hey, hey! It's no problem! I love you guys too!"

Tails and Amy waved. "Yeah, thank you! Great to see you! Yeah, you're wonderful too!" Tails replied.

"Hello," Amy waved. One tried to jump up high! "Hello, you! Nice to see you! Thank you!" The crowd are practically blocking their way. "Thank you but we got to get home!" Tails tried to explained. One fan got on the X-Tornado!

"Yeah we do want to be late!" Amy said.

"So we'll see you! Could you make a little room? We gotta-Ow!" Sonic yelped in pain, rubbing his side. A fan got off with some blue in his hand. "I got Sonic's quills!" He called, waving the blue fur in the air. The other fans piled on him.

"Hands off my beau!" Amy shouted to them.

"Boy! Being famous isn't easy!" Sonic said.

"No kidding! We got to get away from here!" Tails said. So the X Tornado tried to cut through the crowding fans.

Back at his evil base, the evil doctor raised his fists in anger. "AAARRRRGGGHH! Curse that INFERNAL hedgehog! He ruined my plans once more! AARRGGHH! I was so close! I almost had it and that mangy quill-covered rat took away my victory! How could you dolts let this happened?!"

The robots whimpered and cowered in fear by his infuriate blaming. "It's not my fault that that our train exploded!" Bokkun piped up.

"That's right! We just too busy following your orders!" Decoe said, timidly.

"Yeah! Sonic's too fast for us! He always gets the best of us!" Bocoe added meekly.

"Shut up, you dummies! That was a rhetorical question!" Eggman snapped. "That blue rodent may have won this time, but I will triumph next time!" He blared furiously. "I will build a better and powerful machine unit so that I will not fail! I will make Sonic pay! When I catch him, I make him wish he was never born! And then I will create an invincible empire and then NOTHING will bring me down! Nothing! I am the most powerful evil genius in the world!" He laughed out loudly in determination. Then his guffaw abruptly turned into a discouraged groan. "Bah!" He plopped to his chair.

"What's the matter, Doctor?" Decoe asked.

"Why the long face, Boss?" Bocoe added.

"What is the point? Every time I come up with a new scheme, Sonic comes in and wrecks it!" Eggman whined. "It's always the same thing; I build a havoc-seeking robot, he trashes it! I build my own theme park, he destroys it! Even when I finally captured the President and made myself leader of the White House, he spoiled everything in a flash! He always ruins my plans!"

"Of course he always spoils your plans, he's the hero! It's his job!" Bokkun put in as a matter of fact. The robots silenced him. "Are you crazy, Bokkun?!" Decoe insisted.

"Do you want us to get the boot?!" Bocoe persisted.

"I'm afraid Bokkun is right," Eggman said softly.

"Huh?" They said all together.

"Sonic will always try and stop me and always wins! I might as well give up and surrender!" He turned his chair around.

The henchmen gasped in shock.

"What?!"

"Surely you don't mean that, Doctor!"

"I do," the doctor said hopelessly.

"But you can't give up!" Bokkun insisted. "We were gonna build and Eggman state city and I'm supposed to be president of the Eggman Egg Sweets and Prank Toys!"

"As long as he's here, Eggmanland will never happen!" Eggman moaned in sadness. He referred Sonic on screen who was getting welcomed from the mobbing cheering crowd. Sonic grinned and waved to them. He slapped high-fives with some. Some even tried to tip the X Tornado over!

"Wow! They really do love him!" Bocoe said.

"Just look at all those smiling people!" Decoe said.

Eggman sulked with arms crossed. "Pff! He thinks he's so great!" He scoffed in envy. "And everybody thinks he's the big shot! They treat him like a star while we get treated like dirt! They say he's the número uno hero and we're big ZEROS! He's gets the fame and glory while we get nothing but a kick in the pants of displeasure!" He banged on the computer counter in rhythm. "It's..NOT...FAIR! WHY? WHY?! WHHHYYYYY?!" He slammed on the counter so hard, his liquid filled mug bounced off and landed on Bokkun. Eggman sobbed pathetically.

"Mmmmm...Hot chocolate!" Said Bokkun, tasting the brown beverage on his head.

Eggman sniffled. The robots hated to see their master upset, but only because they don't exactly like taking pity on him. After all, he never did any favors for them and always treats them like slaves. But they didn't have a choice. They approached their crybaby doctor. "Hey, don't feel bad, Doctor," Decoe soothed.

"He hasn't stopped all of your plans," Bocoe added.

"Oh yeah? Named one!" Eggman sobbed out.

"Well...uh..." The robots are stumped.

"He hasn't stopped you from..." Nothing.

"He didn't uh...well...once he couldn't...uh..." Still nothing. Eggman was not amused.

"I rest my case," Bokkun said, licking the mug.

The robots sulked in hopelessness.

"Guess we're really are sunk!" Bocoe said, dejectedly.

"No way we're gonna defeat Sonic and win the city over! We can kiss Eggman Empire City good-bye!" Decoe stated depressingly.

At first Eggman sulked in his chair for a few moments, the he growled in persistence and popped up from his chair. "NO! Me?! Give up world domination?! What was I thinking?!" He shouted. The trio huddled with startlement.

"That's the old Eggman we know and love," Decoe said.

"He's back!" Becoe added.

"Drat! It was good while it lasted!" Bokkun said.

Eggman stood up with arms behind back and cleared his throat. "Gentleman, I've been thinking..." He orated. His robots listened carefully. "While I was consoling myself, I just realized something."

"Huh?" The robots looked at each other dubiously.

"Consoling yourself? But you were just crying-" Bokkun talked back.

"Silence!" Eggman snapped. "Anyway, I just realized that I've been thinking too much outside the box."

"Huh?" They look confused.

"It means that I've been trying too hard to defeat Sonic. I've been neglecting other tiny portions in my brain. Sometimes, even an evil genius like myself must take chances to do the exact simplest little things that common people are capable of doing."

"What does that mean, Doctor?" Decoe asked.

"It means that it's time we tried something new," Eggman replied. "We going to find out Sonic's weaknesses. Besides water that is. When we study his weaknesses, we'll put him down for the count...for good!" He grinned deviously. The henchmen look interested. Eggman picked up a paper. "For what I hear, Sonic and his friends are going to a place called Solaropolis, the City of Tomorrow."

"Solaropolis?" The robots asked.

"The City of Tommorrow?" Bokkun repeated.

"Full of solar-powered technology and equipment," Eggman said. "Not only will we find Sonic's weak spot but we will steal all of the solar equipment. With access of the sun's power, we will have unlimited power! Hee Hee!" He grabbed some suitcases. "Pack your bags, boys! We're going to Solaropolis! Where the City of Tomorrow will become the Eggman of Tomorrow! This time for real, NOTHING will STOP me!" He laughed raucously.

The trio looked at each other with uncertainty.

"Oh boy!" Decoe said.

"Here we go again!" Bocoe stated.

"I just hope we don't land into more hot water," Bokkun added.

And so, Eggman and his lackey sidekicks made off in their eggmobile to their new destination, Solaropolis.

At the Thorndyke Mansion, the entire family were packing up and getting ready to depart to their vacation.

"Everyone, we'll be leaving in five minutes!" Nelson announced. "So collect your things and be down here by the limo!"

"Hey, sonny!" Chuck called. "Give me a hand with this!" He was trying to pack his science equipment.

"Come on, Dad! You can't take all this stuff with you!" Nelson protested.

"Why not?" Chuck replied.

The rest of the people got ready. Ella packed her kitchenware and pots and pans. Cream packed her toys. Lindsay packed her dresses. Sonic just ran around. They packed everything in the car. Tails was making sure that his precious X Tornado was tucked underneath the sheets. "Don't worry, I'll be back for you, someday," he assured it like it was the real thing. "I'm just taking a vacation."

Sonic approached him from behind. "The X Tornado will be fine, Buddy! It's not like you're abandoning it!"

"I know, but I've never been apart from it for so long! I just wanted to make sure things are taken care of."

"Let's go outside, Buddy." He and his foxy friend stepped to the limo.

Lindsay emerged from the window with a huge suitcase. "Here!" She dropped it to Tanaka who lift it with effort.

"Phew! This is really heavy!" He puffed.

"Here!" Ella took it off his hands with ease. She's a strong lady. Tanaka slumped in shame.

Cream and Vanilla put their luggage in the car and waited inside.

"I've never been to Solaropolis before," Cream said. "I'm really excited!" Cheese chirped.

"Me too, baby!" Vanilla said. "I can't wait to meet Mr. Thorndyke's folks."

Amy put the rest of her things in the back of the limo. "Phew! That's that!" She saw Sonic face to face. "Where's your stuff, Sonic?" She asked him.

"Right here," Sonic answered, holding a small bag.

Amy was shocked. "Sonic! We're gonna be there for a whole month and that's all you're bringing?! What about a change of clothes? Shoes? Everything?"

"Nah! That's all I need!" Sonic replied. "I'm the kind of guy who doesn't worry about anything!"

"Ohh! Men!" Amy scoffed.

Chris came out with a huge crate. "Here's the last one!" He grunted with effort.

Sonic gave him a hand, "careful buddy. I'll help you!"

"Thanks, Sonic!" Chris grunted. They lugged it all the way to the limo.

"For goodness' sakes, Christopher!" Ella said. "We're only gonna be there for several weeks! You don't need all those toys!"

Chris and Sonic put it inside the limo. Sonic panted. "They're not my things," Chris said. "They're souvenirs for our relatives when we go visit them in Solaropolis. I thought they might want a piece of Station Square."

"You're a thoughtful young boy," Lindsay said, hugging him. "I'm so proud."

"Before we go, does anybody need to use the bathroom?" Nelson asked.

"Nope!" They all replied.

"I'm good!" Sonic replied.

"I do," Chuck said, running back the house.

"Well, hurry up, Dad!" Nelson called, joining his family in the limo.

Tanaka switched on the ignition.

"Hey, thanks for inviting us on the vacation, Mr. Thorndyke!" Amy said.

"No problem, Amy," Nelson said.

"It's so good to finally have some time off and spend time with the family," Lindsay said.

"And we get to see your relatives," Sonic replied. "I'm curious to see that cousin of yours, Chris."

"Mmm-hmm!" Chris nodded.

Tanaka honked the horn. Chuck came rushing out. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" He got in. "Let's go!"

And now that Sonic, friends, and the entire Thorndyke family were all in the limousine. They drove away from the parkway. Chris looked back at the rear window and watched his home faded into a distance. They'll be vacationing at Solaropolis for the next month.

Meanwhile on Angel Island, Knuckles The Echidna was guarding the Master Emerald as usual. He was relaxing and enjoying the silence except nature sounds. The birds chirped and the wind whispered in a blissful way. The rose petals blew away this way. _Aahhh...the sweet sound of serenity,_ he thought peacefully. _There isn't a care in the world. Just me and the Master Emerald. Simply paradise...I will leave here forever and never leave this place. _He laid there with his arms tucked underneath his head, legs postured, and chewing on a piece of grass. Suddenly, something or someone stalked him behind the pillars. "Hmm?" Knuckles perked. The mysterious figure lurked behind the alter. Knuckles got up.

"Hey, who's there? Come out and show yourself, I dare you!" He called out. Then suddenly, someone snuck behind him and grabbed him, covering his eyes! "Aah!" Knuckles was caught by surprise.

"Guess who?" It was Rouge the Bat.

"Grr...It's you again!" Knuckles remarked. "Get off me! Get off!" He brushed her off and shook his head. "Geez! Don't you have anything better to do than just flutter around, pestering me?"

"Now, that's no way to talk to a lady you haven't seen in a while," Rouge said flirtatiously. "Can't a girl drop in every once in a while just to say hello?"

"I know why you're here," Knuckles said. "And the answer is still no!"

"No? To what?" Rouge asked innocently.

"You know what! The Master Emerald! Don't even think about it!" He stood guard in front of the Master Emerald.

"Ohhh...you mean this Master Emerald?" Her voice came from behind.

"Huh?" Knuckles turned around. "Wha-?!" Rouge was laying on the Master Emerald, face up. Her head hung from the edge. She giggled as she laid around playfully.

Knuckles was getting annoyed. "Why you conniving-how dare you play games with the guardian?! Get off of that emerald!"

"Aaahhh...This enormous gemstone is sooooo shiny!" Rouge said admiringly. "It would certainly be an interesting display in my little bedroom." She flipped over and laid flat on her stomach, legs kicking.

"HA! In your dreams, Rouge!" Knuckles rebuked. "As long as I'm living and breathing, no one I mean NO ONE! Will take the Master Emerald from me! Anyone foolish enough to fight me, will answer to my fist! I'm the best darn guardian in the entire world! Maybe even better than my ancestors! HA HA HA!" He laughed out loud haughtily.

Rouge looked at him half amused by his boastful talk. "You know, with your self-confident and pride of fighting, it's no wonder you've been chosen as guardian of the Master Emerald."

"You got that right!" Knuckles replied extulantly.

"However, your boisterous ego has also made you gullible and slow-witted."

"Huh! What does that supposed to mean?!" He barked angrily.

"I mean, come on! You've been secluding yourself from the outside world," Rouge said, jumping off the Master Emerald and joined him by his side. "Don't you ever get bored? From just sitting around, looking at nothing but the same grass and stuff, all day long?"

"Nope. It's my sacred duty to make sure that nothing happens to the Master Emerald. I don't have time to wander aimlessly in the city, looking at silly art portraits or watch goofy dancers make complete fools of themselves in public."

"Gee, Knuckles, when it comes to work, you're the king of no-play! You make a ownerless marionette look fun and entertaining."

Knuckles was taken aback. "Hey! I could be fun if I wanna be! I gots tons of fun around here! I just don't have the time!"

Rouge grabbed his arm. "Then let's go to movie together!" She encouraged. "Or the park! Better yet, let's have a nice little quiet dinner evening where we can get to to know each other better..." She leaned forward to his ear. "Personal-like wise!"

Knuckles gasped in shock and blushed. "If you think that I'm going to leave my post to go out with you, you're bats!" He snarled.

Rouge sighed and shrugged, "can't blame a girl for trying!" Suddenly, she received a call from her transmitter watch. "Rouge, here," she answered. She received some information about a new mission. "Understood. On my way." She gets ready to leave. "Oh well, I've got to go anyway. Don't work too hard."

"Good riddance!" Knuckles retorted.

"Catch you later, Knuckie Poo!" She fluttered off.

Knuckles was taken aback. "Don't ever call me that!" He snarled, blushing.

Rouge chuckled devilishly. "Oh, and one more thing, darling. If you ever have the urge to hook up, please don't hesitate to call me!"

"What?!" Knuckles shouted in aghast, burning red. "YOU REALLY ARE BATTY!" It echoed from Angel Island to the outside world. Rouge flew off to her mission.


	5. Solaropolis and Cousin Carter

The Thorndyke's private jet plane flew across the clouds in the higher altitude of the sky.

"Are we there yet?" Sonic asked from the plane.

"Not yet, Sonic," Chris replied.

"How about now?" Sonic asked.

"No."

"Now?"

"NO!" Said everyone.

"But we've been in this plane forever! When will we get there?" Sonic moaned.

"We've only been in the air for 43 minutes," Chris said. "Just be patient, we'll get there."

"How do you people stand being in the plane? I'm dying in here! I wish we had the X Tornado and we would have gotten there sooner." Sonic whined.

"But we wouldn't fit everyone in it!" Tails said. "Besides, I've always wanted to try airplane food!"

"So be quiet and enjoy the flight!" Amy said bossily. Sonic groaned.

The plane turned sideways, shifting into another direction. Night came and dawn approached. As the sun rose from the clouds, Sonic asked again, "are we there yet?"

"For the 14th time, Sonic, NO!" Everyone replied in annoyance. Sonic groaned loudly. "We're never gonna get there."

"I'm starting to get jet leg," Cream said.

"Maybe I should have taken the X Tornado," Tails said.

"Be quiet, all of you! Trying to sleep!" Amy barked.

"Alright everybody, before you go at each other's throats," Nelson stepped in. "We'll be landing in Solaropolis in 5 minutes tops!"

"Really?" Chris piped up relievedly.

"Finally!" Sonic said cheerfully.

"If you look at your left, you'll see the beautiful Solaropolis down there!"

Everyone looked out the window and gazed with awe.

"Wow!" Chris exclaimed.

"It's beautiful!" Amy said.

"Just like a dream!" Cream said.

As the plane lands, the beautiful shining golden city of Solaropolis gleamed its big smile as it welcomes new arrivals at the busy streets. People were rushing around, taking care of stuff and going at their business routines. Just like Station Square. Nelson and the rest of the family arrived outside the airport with their luggage. Sonic and the gang were awed by the amazing sight of the huge city.

"Whoa..." Sonic exclaimed.

"Wow!" Chris exclaimed.

"This place is huge!" Cream said.

"Let's hold hands so we don't get lost, sweetie," Vanilla said, taking her daughter's hand.

"I hear there's the world's largest shopping mall here," Amy said. "I would like to go there first!"

"There'll be plenty of time, Amy," Lindsay said, lugging her bags. "We've got to get settled in first. Now where's our ride?"

A man with orange hair in a chauffeur's uniform was standing there by a taxi limo, holding a sign that read, "Nelson Thorndyke". Nelson approached him, "excuse me, I'm Nelson Thorndyke and this is my family."

"Well, about time you got here." The man said.

"Sam Speed?" Chuck peered over.

"Is that my brother?" Lindsay said.

"Hey, it is Uncle Sam!" Chris said.

"Sam Speed's here?" Sonic said.

"Hey, Chris, Sonic, everybody! Need a ride?" Sam said.

"What are you doing here?" Everyone asked in unison.

"Well, I heard you guys are going to Solaropolis, so I took the liberty of promoting myself to travel here to help you guys with your luggage and escort you to his brother's place," Sam answered. "...And to catch up with Sonic." He pointed at the blue hedgehog. Sonic looked up curiously, "hmm?"

"Just because you're vacationing here in the golden city, doesn't mean you're hiding from me! Wherever you go, I'll always be there to kick your butt, Sonic! Count on it!" Sam challenged.

"Fine, Sam, whatever you say," Sonic replied.

"Are we going stand around and chat or are we going to over to my son's?" Chuck said impatiently.

"Right then. Let's go!" Sam said.

And so, Sonic, friends, and the entire Thorndyke family rode in Sam's limo. They drove through the big city which was pretty crowded. Sam had to honk and shout impatiently, "hey! Move it! Can't you I'm escorting these good people?! I don't have time for this!"

Chris and friends look out through the window.

"Wow! It's even bigger than Station Square," Chris said.

"Hey, I'm kind of confused here." Cream said.

"About what?" Chris asked.

"I thought Sam was your uncle. Why are we visiting him?" Cream replied.

"He is my uncle, Cream," Chris replied. "Actually, I have two uncles. You see, my Uncle Sam is my mom's brother on her side of the family and my Uncle Robert is my dad's brother on his side. He lives here in Solaropolis. He and my dad haven't seen each other in a while. That's why we're visiting him."

"I get it now," Tails piped up. "Boy, you have a big family, Chris! You're so lucky."

"Thanks, we tried to keep in touch."

"But if Mr. Thorndyke has a brother, then that means..." Amy said.

"That's right, Amy. Robert is my oldest son," Chuck said. "He had his reasons to live on his own. It'll be good to see my old boy again!"

"Me too, Dad!" Nelson said. "I've been dying to see my big brother again!"

Somewhere in the city, Eggman and his henchmen arrived in there, laying low in disguise from the authorities. They looked around in wonder.

"Wow! So this is the big city!" Decoe exclaimed.

"Everything here is so advanced!" Bocoe said.

"That's because everything here is solar powered," Eggman said. "The cars, the lights, stores, even the electronics!"

"Wow!" Exclaimed the robots.

"Soon, all of this solar charged technology will be mine!" Eggman boasted. "With unlimited access of energy, I will be unstoppable!" He laughed out loud. His robots covered his mouth and hid in the allies before a policeman could notice them. "Huh?" He muttered as he looked around in suspicion.

"Careful, Doctor," Bocoe warned.

"We don't want to get caught and thrown in jail!" Decoe said.

Eggman angrily shrugged them off. "Keep this up and I'll see to it that you will get thrown into the big can if you know what I mean!" He growled. The robots gulped.

Bokkun approached over them. "Hey, Doc! I just saw Sonic and his friends riding in a limo down the streets just now!" He reported, pointing.

"Excellent," Eggman grinned. "You can run fast, pretty blue boy, but you can't hide from the good doctor! Mark my words! HA HA HA!" He's about to hatch his heinous plan yet.

The limo finally arrived at a big estate with a large pond with a statue and and water fountain in the middle as a centerpiece. Up ahead, there is an enormous palace.

"Wow! What a mansion!" Chris exclaimed.

"That's even bigger than the President's house!" Tails added.

Sonic whistled. "Totally huge! Your uncle must be richer!" Amy poked him in the ribs for his rudeness. He shrugged "what did I say?". Nelson looked at him uneasily but said nothing. He looked like he's envious of his brother.

When the family pulled up at the driveway, a dozen servants lined up, awaiting their arrival. At the top, a tall blond-haired handsome man with a goatee and a lovely lady with long smooth jet black hair holding a white Persian cat in her arms were standing there, waiting to greet their arrival. Tanaka and Sam stepped out and opened the door. Everyone left the limo. Everyone beamed with excitement.

"Hey, Robbie!" Nelson exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey Nelson! HA HA HA!" Robert replied happily, waving back to him. "Well, come over here, baby bro and give me some tender meat!" The two brothers rushed toward each other. Nelson laughed and hugged his brother whom squeezed him real tight in his big arms! He laughed in joy. "Man, good to see you, little brother!

"Happy to see you, too Big Brother!" Nelson wheezed.

Robert then gave his younger brother a noogie. "HA HA HA! I see you haven't changed a bit!" He guffawed.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Hey! Ow! Cut it out!" Nelson muttered in half pain.

Their wives approached each other.

"Karolyn!" Lindsay greeted.

"Lindsay!" Karolyn greeted back.

"Darlings!" They said it together as they "kissed" each other.

"It has been a while, doll." Lindsay said.

"I haven't seen you since performing school! We were rivals back then." Karolyn responded back. Her cat purred.

"Yes. I see you're looking well."

"Thank you. You've been looking after yourself. You're as pretty as ever!"

"Oh, thank you! You're just saying that! Of course, I do enjoy taking compliments. " The two chortled.

Chuck and the rest exited the limo to join the reunion.

"HA HA HA! Ah, my two boys are back together again! Just like old times!" Chuck chuckled happily. "Hah hah hah! Come here, big boy! I wanna give my Robbie some love!" He hugged his oldest son.

"Ha Ha Ha! Poppa! It's good to see you!" Robert exclaimed as he gave his dad a big squeeze! "Old Man! You look so well!"

"Thanks...I see you've been doing well yourself, son!" Chuck heaved.

Robert held on to his father and brother. "Ha ha ha! Oh yeah! The Thorndyke boys are back in town!"

Chuck and Nelson smiled and laughed with him. "Yeah! Together again!"

"It's wonderful to see you, Father," Karolyn addressed her father-in-law.

"Hello, Karolyn!" Chuck replied.

Chris and his friends were happy to see their happy folks together.

"Hello, Auntie Karolyn. Hello, Uncle Robert." Chris greeted shyly.

"Ahh..." His aunt smiled as she approached him. "Is that little Christopher?"

Robert looked at him. "Well, I'll be! It can't be Chris! Last time I saw you, you were just a tiny tyke! Now look at ya!" He exclaimed as he glanced at his nephew. "You...You're so BIG! What have you been feeding this boy, huh?" He laughed as he patted his nephew on the head. "You're getting to be a spitting image of your mother! Of course, I didn't say he doesn't take after you, eh bro? HA HA HA!" He poked Nelson in the ribs. Nelson chuckled painfully. Sonic and the gang smiled as they witnessed this happy family reunion.

Karolyn pinched her nephew's cheeks. "My darling little nephew!" She lovingly kissed Chris on the cheek who chuckled sheepishly. Her cat was now on her shoulders.

"I know a certain someone wants to meet you." She looked behind her. "Come on, love. Don't be shy. Say hello to your relatives." She stepped aside.

Behind her was another boy about Chris' age, standing there with his arms folded. He was wearing a blue school uniform with black shoes and had semi-long blue hair down to his nape with a tuft of bangs covering his half of his turquoise eyes. This is Chris' cousin. Everyone looked at him with curiosity.

"Well, you must be Carter." Nelson addressed his nephew.

"Ah, my other grandson! I haven't seen him since he was three years old," Chuck said.

"When you two boys were very small, people kept assuming that you were twins." Robert added.

"What a cutie!" Ella said.

"Christopher, go meet your cousin," Lindsay said. Chris smiled with acquaintance.

"You remember your cousin Chris, don't you,?" Karolyn said.

"Hmph!" Carter grunted stoically in response.

Chris approached his cousin face to face. "Hey, Cousin Carter! How are you?" He chuckled excitedly as he spread out his arms for a hug.

The boy did not smile. He just stood there expressionless, smacking his gum. He blew a bubble. Still holding out his arms, Chris felt a little awkward. And so did his friends.

When the bubble popped, he uttered, "hey, what's up?" In unexcited manner. His voice is a little deeper than Chris' and almost teenaged.

Chris looked at him in inquiringly. "Okay..."

Carter's aunt and uncle greeted him.

"Hello, Carter, dear!" Lindsay said pinching his cheeks.

"Great to see you, my nephew!" Nelson added, patting his head.

"Hey, Aunt Lindsay. Hi, Uncle Nelson." Carter replied callously.

His grandfather hugged him next. "Hello, my boy!"

"What up, Gramps?" His grandson said, not showing reaction to the hug. He just shrugged off.

Sonic and everyone looked at him in confusion.

"What's up with him?" He whispered to Tails. "Did somebody removed his excitement box?" Tails shrugged.

"Sshh!" Hushed Amy.

"He's just shy!" Karolyn put out. She introduced her Persian cat. "Everyone, this is my friend, Hercules! Say 'hi' Hercules!" Her cat meowed in response.

"Hi, Hercules!" Sonic and Co. Responded.

"Yes, good boy. Hercules, Hercules, Hercules!" She caressed her purring kitty.

"I see you brought some friends. Sonic The Hedgehog, is it?" Robert said.

"That's right! I'm the big hero!" Sonic replied.

"And let's see..." Robert continued. He took roll call.

"You're Miles Prowler, AKA Tails...Amy Rose...Cream and Cheese...and of course, Vanilla!"

Each of the heroes nodded in correction and greeted him. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Thorndyke sir!" Sonic said.

"Please, address to me as Master Thorndyke," Robert said. "So we don't get confused, eh?"

"It's amazing! We got Sonic at our house. Isn't it exciting, Carter?" Karolyn said.

"No, not really." Carter replied dully. Chris and the gang were surprised by his uninterested attitude. They looked at each other, "what's with him?"

Robert chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, don't mind him! He's just going through a phase! Well, enough with the introductions! Why don't we all go inside?" Everyone headed back inside the palace. Tanaka and the servants shipped the luggage inside. Ella had to help the maids.

The family entered the main entrance hall where everything's huge and glorious. The gang were extremely awed.

"It's so beautiful!" Amy exclaimed.

"Magnificent!" Said Cream.

"It's like being in a royal palace!" Tails said.

"It's amazing!" Chris said.

"Simply marvelous!" Lindsay said.

"I just died and gone to heaven!" Sonic said. Chuck and Nelson were impressed.

"Welcome to our humble home!" Robert said. "I know what you're all thinking...it's grand and fancy but it's home. Due to excessive house furnishing and demanding supply transport, we had to move into a large home! Also because, we have a lot of people living here." He placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Just because someone has a bigger and grand mansion, does not mean he's more successful or better than the other. My brother and I equals and always has been!" The brothers beamed.

Chuck looked at them and nodded surely, arms folded. Amy eyed at Sonic as saying "I told you so".

"Shall we take the tour?" Robert announced. "Follow me."

The entire family walked through the grand hallway.

"Here, at the first floor where we do some formative activities," Robert detailed. "Such as the swimming pool..." He showed them a large swimming pool. "The tennis court, we sometimes hold tournaments here..." They viewed a tennis court. "And our course, the outdoors." Robert showed them the backyard. It was as big as the front yard. It's a formal garden with dozens of trimmed hedge sculptures and a maze.

"Wow! That garden is huge!" Amy said. "Look at that maze over there!"

"Yeah, you might want to be careful not to get lost there," Robert said. "Once, one of our members got trapped in there, the other servants who went to rescue him also got lost. It took us two days to locate and pull them out that maze!"

The gang were spooked by his story. They would sure hate to get lost in there for days, too.

"Moving on!"

Robert next showed them the large garage of fancy cars. "This is my collection of automobiles, most of them were gifts from other companies." The gang were impressed. Then, they came across a huge elegant ballroom. "Wow!" The gang exclaimed.

"It's huge!" Chris said.

"That's the biggest room I've ever seen!" Cream said.

"I could run around in there!" Sonic said ecstatically.

"This is where we will have our party tomorrow evening," Robert said.

"A party tomorrow?" The gang repeated.

"A formal charity ball," Karolyn said. "For the tribute of the less fortunate."

"A grand ball here?" Amy said ecstatically. "This gets better." Sonic just hung his arms behind his head, looking unamused.

The Thorndyke family next arrived in some kind of greenhouse. It's inhibited with all kinds of plants and vegetation. The gang exclaimed in wonder.

"Here, we are at the Botanical Sanctuary where we keep all kinds of plant species in the world.."

Sonic whistled. "That sure is a lot of green here!"

"It's looks like we're in a jungle!" Tails said.

"Only we're indoors." Vanilla said.

Everyone began to explore the greenhouse.

"What does 'exotic' mean?" Chris asked, looking at the red plants.

"It means that most of these plants have been imported from different countries." Chuck explained. "Like this one, 'grown from Peru'." He pointed to a pink flower.

Cream gazed the plants, different shapes and sizes. "Look at all those plants. There's so many of them." Cheese chirped.

"I'm seeing more green than a city park," Vanilla said.

"Master Thorndyke, why would you keep plants in your greenhouse? I don't see a rainforest in the city or anywhere." Amy asked.

"Well, Amy, sad to say, but not a lot people give a hoot about these plants or the wildlife in nature," Robert explained. "Because of global warming and pollution, lots of rainforests were dying throughout the countries. We do our best to save them. That's why we keep some of the species here, hoping to reforest."

"Wow!" Said everyone. Robert seemed like a caring guy.

Tails spotted a giant unusual flower. "Hey, what's that weird-looking plant?" He asked.

With curiosity, he took a closer look. "Hmm..." He leaned on it and sniffed at its pink yellowish toothy petals and the center...

CHOMP! The Venus Flytrap caught the little fox cub in its huge jaws! Only the tips of his tails were sticking out! The gang gasped when they saw Tails in a pickle!

"Tails?" Sonic said.

"Hey! Help! Help! Get me out of here!" He cried and struggled in the plant's mouth.

"Tails!" Chris cried in concern.

"Oh dear!" Vanilla said.

"Somebody help him!" Cream said.

"I see you've met Hilda, the endangered Brazilian Rose Venus Flytrap." Robert said. "Usually she's pretty harmless and loves to kiss people, but you may want to keep your head a distance away. You see, with a big appetite like hers, she doesn't know the difference between a fly and a person...or in your case, a 'FLY-ING FOX'! Get it? HA HA HA!" He guffawed and slapped his leg.

Carter and Karolyn looked at each other unimpressed by his lame pun.

"Not funny! Help Please, get me out of here!" Tails pleaded.

Sonic grabbed his tails, "I got you, buddy!" He struggled to pull him out.

Chris joined in to help, "hang on, Tails!" They both tugged at the trapped little fox and pulled with strength, until they eventually pulled him out of the Venus flytrap's mouth. Tails shuddered in revulsion.

"You alright?" Sonic asked.

"I...guess," Tails answered.

"Right. I see that you'll all getting restless," Robert said. "Let's finish our tour."

"Here on the second floor is where the magic flows," Robert announced. "You can call it the 'Industry Section'. This is where all the solar-powered technology are produced and developed. This palace is not just a house, it's a factory. My office is here on this floor. I'm the head of this corporation. You see, everything at Solaropolis is solar-powered. You won't have to worry about electric billing again...except now you worry about solar billing now! That's why we're stinking rich! HA HA HA!" He laughed.

The gang watched from the glass window where they witnessed workers in the process of building electronics with cool machinery.

"Wow! This technology looks advanced," Tails said admiringly. "I'd loved to try this solar stuff!"

"Forgive me for being nosy, Uncle Robert, but why do you keep it at home? Why not just work it here in the big city like the other factories?" Chris asked.

"Well, son, because of our successful products, lots of spies are willing to steal secrets from our factories and throw us out of business," Robert explained. "The outside world can be scary. No one would ever think of looking for a factory here at a fancy palace. We have extremely tight security that only a fool would try to break in!"

"It also helps keep the family together," Karolyn said. Hercules meowed.

Sonic peered into a strange dark room. "What's in this room? Is is your office?"

"Yes, but..." Robert quickly closed the door and locked it. "That room is off-limits."

"Hmm?" Half the family looked at curiosity.

"Sorry, but this place is private," Robert said. "No one, and I mean no one under any circumstances is allowed in there. I would not want a mess of things."

"That's fine, we understand," Chuck said. "It's not like we're interested."

Sonic looked at his older son like he's hiding something. He noticed he's wearing a sun emblem necklace.

"Well, Lindsay and I have some gossiping to do," Karolyn said. "Care to join me?" She addressed to her friend and Vanilla.

"You go ahead, honey," Robert said approvingly. "My pop and brother must discuss our business ideas together. Carter, my boy. Why don't you show your cousin and his guests your playroom? Show them around and entertain them."

"If I must," his son replied in disgruntlement. "All right, cuz, animals, follow me." Chris and his friends trailed him. Nelson watched them go. He appeared to be concerned.

"They'll be fine," Robert assured. "Back in the old days, these boys used to play with each other nonstop and I'm sure they'll get along fine!"

"I know," Nelson said. "I just hope they'll play nice."

"Well, boys will be boys," Chuck added. "Now that we're together, we can spend some time!"

"Yeah!" Said the brothers as the three huddled up.

The ladies were sunbathing by the pool.

"I hope you didn't mind that Chris bought his animal friends to your palace, Karolyn," Lindsay said. "He was thrilled to introduce them to his relatives."

"Not at all, darling. We have plenty of room," Karolyn said. "Did you know that some of our employees were homeless. Robert took pity on them and gave them shelter and jobs!"

"You seemed like very hospitable people," Vanilla said. "I just hope that my daughter and her friends won't give your son trouble."

"I don't think so, love," Karolyn said. "Carter is a attentive boy and I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing his stuff with Chris."

Inside, Carter, Chris, and the gang walked through hallways and were at the stairs.

"Hey Carter," Chris began to say. "I just wanna say that I'm glad we're visiting you and my friends were honored to meet you!"

"Yeah!" Said his friends. Carter had his back turned, arms still folded.

Sonic reached out his friend, "just wanna say, I'm your friend too, so..." But Sonic didn't get a chance to finish because Carter cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah," He said coldly. "But first, let's get a few things straight here." He unfolded his arms and turned around.

"Huh?" Chris and his friends looked at him in skepticism.

"Just so you know, I am in charge here!" Carter pointed out icily. "I make the rules in this house so you better follow them and do what I say. Stay out of my way and there won't be any trouble. Don't even think about touching my stuff without written permission from me! Whatever I say here goes! No questions asked. Got it?"

"Yeah, sure! Whatever you say!" They all replied in unison. They could not believe his attitude.

"Good! Follow me!" Carter ordered bossily. They headed upstairs.

"Um, Chris," Amy whispered to him. "Pardon me but I was kind of hoping he'd be like you!"

"But he's kind of...different from you!" Tails said. Chris shrugged.

"Reminds of a time when I met my dark counterpart," Sonic said. "Talk about the opposite of Chris!"

Chris tried to make conversation, "hey, Carter, did you know that Sonic saved the people back on that Radical Express?"

"Yeah, I know," Carter replied uninterested.

"Aren't you a least bit excited about having us over?" Amy asked him. "It's not often people get heroes like us invited to their homes."

"Actually, I don't care about animals in the world. Walking or talking, I considered them all to be pests, vermin, filthy savages that need to be get rid of!" Carter responded brittlely. The gang were shocked by his words.

"I like them better when they're stuffed or hang on the walls of the fireplace! I like to _fry_ them and eat them! Especially little bunny rabbits! They make great tasty meals!" He glared at a cowering Cream and licked his lips. Cream and Cheese whimpered in fear. Carter snickered meanly as he turned his back. Sonic growled at him. Tails gulped.

"Hey, that wasn't very nice!" Amy confronted him. "You better apologize!"

"Ah, she's a rabbit! She'll get over it!" He retorted. Amy was so stunned by his cold attitude. How could he be related to kind-hearted Chris?

"He-he won't really do that to us, will he, Chris?" Cream whimpered.

"It's okay, Cream. I'm sure he's only teasing!" Chris comforted her.

"Ugh! your cousin's kinda scary if you ask me!" Tails said. Sonic shook his head in dismay.

Carter opened the door to the dark room. He clapped twice to make the light turned on. Inside is the ultimate game room. The gang were very impressed. It held a pool table, video games, snack bar, anything a kid could dream of!

"Whoa!" Chris exclaimed. "This place is cool!"

"Neato!" Sonic said.

"Look at all this cool stuff!" Said Tails.

"What do you think?" Carter said, arms folded again. "Not too shabby, huh?"

"You've got a really cool place, Carter," Amy said, looking at colorful fishes in the large aquarium.

"What's this thing?" Cream asked, looking at a strange object with curiosity. She pressed a button and the thing turned on a full animation, making loud noises and moving uncontrollably! Cream ran away scared.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to touch anything?" Carter barked.

Cream hid. "Sorry."

"Well, either way, your place is really cool, Carter," Chris said, sitting at the bar.

Carter smirked. "If you think that's cool, everybody on the couch." He ordered.

Curiously, everyone sat on couch. Except Amy whose still looking at the aquarium.

"Hey Ana! Over here!" Carter called her.

"That's Amy!" She retorted piqued.

"Whatever. Just sit."

Amy joined her friends at the couch, glaring at him.

"Comfy? Good." Carter said as he joined them as well. He clapped twice again. Out from the wall emerged a huge wide screen plasma TV with big speakers that filled up the wall. The gang was impressed, they oohed.

"Whoa!" Chris exclaimed

"That's a really big TV!" Amy said.

"Amazing!" Cream said. Cheese chirped.

"Check out those speakers!" Tails said.

"What's so great about that?" Sonic asked.

Carter held out the remote. "Behold." He said as he turned the TV.

BOOM! ROARRRRRR! The sound was incredibly so loud that it literally almost blew away Chris, Sonic, and friends in the couch! And the snacks on a table! Everyone except Carter exclaimed in surprise.

The growling and stomping T-Rex in 3-D blared on TV! It roared at full volume that it could create deaf ears!

"WOW!" Chris shouted over the volume.

"YIKES!" Sonic screamed.

"That's really loud!" Tails hollered.

The girls covered their ears in pain.

"It's a little loud, isn't it?!" Chris shouted to his cousin.

"What?!" Carter yelled in replied.

"I said, that's a little loud!"

"I know! Great, right!" Carter continued to enjoy it.


	6. Legends and Secrets

Engines roared from the G.U.N. plane. It took off at full speed. Several soldiers rambled around the navy base, passing out orders and everything. Rouge and Topaz were standing near the helicopter, about to take on a new mission. The President was giving them their orders.

"Your new task is to explore the old town called Sunny Town. Your mission; seek out its unsolved mysteries and recover a lost relic hidden in the extinct mountain," He said. "We're trying to find out what really happened twelve years ago. Can I count on you, ladies?"

"Yes sir, Mr. President!" The girls chorused.

"Good luck to both of you! And stay out of trouble!" The President said.

"HA! Trouble's my middle name!" Rouge said as she and Topaz got in the helicopter. The helicopter took off. The President watched them go. "Of course it is, Rouge." He answered confidently. "That's why we let you joined the government."

The helicopter flew through the thick heavy clouds. Topaz and Rouge were sitting together.

"You excited about this new mission, Rouge?" Topaz asked her friend.

"You better believe it, sister!" Rouge replied, kicking back and relaxing. "I may not look it, but I'm the greatest treasure hunter in the world, unlike a certain red guardian I know."

"Knuckles? I don't know, I think he compares to you," Topaz answered. "Besides, I noticed that you showing some signs of infatuation for him. Gotta a crush on him?"

Rouge blushed. "What? Of course not!" She responded hastily. "Whatever made you think of that sort of nonsense?!"

Topaz giggled, "then why are you blushing, dear? You know, you two look like a cute couple!" She teased. The other soldiers snickered. It seems that tables have turned.

"Mind your own business, Topaz!" Rouge retorted. She was still blushing and arms folded with embarrassment. "There's nothing going on between me and the echidna! Let's just do our jobs!"

Topaz turned away, smiling. "Whatever you say, hon," she said. "Whatever you say."

"We're here," the pilot announced.

Topaz opened the door. Down there is an old ghost town.

"This is our stop, Rouge," she informed her friend. "Let's go!"

"Right!"

The girls jumped off helicopter and opened up their parachutes (and "para-a-wings") and descended gently toward the ground. The wind was hurling at their direction.

"My, what a fantastic view!" Rouge commented. "Doesn't it just take breath awa-yiiiieeee!" She and Topaz screamed as the wind blew at their parachutes and wings into farther another direction, hovering over a destroyed bridge, and drop landed on top of the dirt ground. Rouge got up. "Ouch! Stupid breeze!" She complained angrily. "That was my best suit!" She dusted her black legs.

Topaz got up. "That was nuts!" She cracked her back.

Then the girls gasped in wonder. They landed right in front of an old cathedral. It looked pretty on the outside.

"Wow! What's that?" Rouge asked in puzzle.

"Looks like some kind of church," Topaz answered.

"A church?" Rouge replied.

Topaz headed toward the church.

"Hey, where are you going? The town's this way," Rouge said, pointing over the horizon.

"I just wanted to see what's inside," Topaz said, opening the door.

Rouge backed off, looking uneasy. With her being a jewel thief, she's afraid of stepping in a holy house like she'll get burned to a crisp for her "sins".

"Hey, you coming?" Topaz asked.

"Er..." Rouge replied anxiously. "I think it'll be best if I wait here."

"Oh no, you don't!" Topaz insisted. "We're in this together!" She grabbed the bat's arm and dragged her in! "Whoa!' Rouge exclaimed.

The partner duo stepped into the mystical room of the church. It's pretty dusty inside and a little run-down. The stained glass windows still shone gloriously. The girls were fascinated by its interior.

"Ahh! I must admit, this place is enchanting," Rouge said. "Almost as captivating as diamonds."

"It's really beautiful in here," Topaz said. "It's like a safe haven from any dark forces of nature."

The girls walked around some. Rouge gazed at the sun symbols everywhere. "This may sound weird but what's with all the suns?" She asked.

"This is a place of worship of their eternal sun god, Solaris." Topaz answered. Above them is the dome of the picture of Solaris, ruling the universes.

"Solaris? What kind of name is that for a god?" Rouge asked, gazing at the dome.

"When I was a small child, I used to listened to legendary stories about the sun god," Topaz said, looking at the dome too.

"You were a kid? Boy, you must be really old! I'm still young!"

Topaz was offended by her remark. "Anyway, it is said that Solaris ruled over throughout the universes as our sun, THE sun of our Earth."

Are you saying that this Solaris was the sun? The center of our universe? The one our planet revolves?"

"Precisely. Also, Solaris was the god of time and space since all the planets revolve around the sun. Past, present, and future."

Rouge was fascinated by the story.

"No one has actually seen his face in life but they believed that he existed inside the sun and will one day visit them on Judgement Day."

"Who's they?" Rouge asked.

"The people of Sunny Town. From the sun's warm rays, they consider it to be their fiery guardian of Earth. A priest used to work here as the speaker of Solaris. He was like the unelected leader to the people of Sunny Town."

Rouge appeared to be interested. "Mmm-hmm."

"Legend has it that Solaris will someday unlock his full potential and true form by accessing the powers of the seven Chaos. With the help of a vessel containing the dimensional key to this world, Solaris will unleash his tremendous godly wrath upon us, awakened by greed and anger, and rage upon this "sinful" world. If that happens, time itself will be erased forever and the entire world and universe as we know it will fall into oblivion."

Rouge was stunned by this story. "Yikes! Everything falling into nonexistence? That's sounds scary!" She exclaimed. "Imagine, being in the dark of nothingness! Ooh!" She shuddered at a thought. "I'm not sure what does the parts 'vessel of a dimensional key', or 'awakened by anger and greed' mean, (I know the seven Chaos are the seven Chaos Emeralds.) but still, I hate to float into a dark void or else I wouldn't even get to look at pretty colorful gems again!" (She's referring to the Chaos Emeralds.)

"But I wouldn't worry about that. After all, it's only a legend," Topaz said. "Plus a sun can't get hold of the seven Chaos Emeralds and there's no such thing as the dimensional key. Let's get out here, Rouge. We got a mission to do!" She walked out of the office. Rouge took one last look at the picture dome of Solaris and followed her partner out of the church.

So the girls trod the gloomy looking ghost town of Sunny Town. Rouge had to carry Topaz across the broken bridge.

"So this is old Sunny Town, huh?" Rouge said, unsurprised. "More like Gloomy Town if you asked me. It looks as if nobody has lived here for ages."

"It used to be a quiet but lively town," Topaz said. "Until one day, a major catastrophe struck here twelve years ago."

"Catastrophe?" Rouge repeated.

"They say it was the spawn of Solaris, just as powerful as its father, got sent to Earth to punish the people for their foolishnesses, Iblis."

"Iblis?"

"A terrible monster of fire and darkness born from the project failure wrecked havoc throughout the world, destroying everything it touched. Chaos and turmoil was everywhere. No force on Earth or Heaven could able to bring down this immortal beast."

"So how did they manage to vanquish this Iblis fellow?"

"It said that the priest stood up to the monster, determined to eliminate something he created. He used something extremely precious to him to seal the devil away in its tomb, something more powerful than the Chaos Emeralds-"

"Whoa! Back it up!" Rouge interrupted in surprise. "What could be more powerful than the Chaos Emeralds?!"

"No one really knows for sure," Topaz answered. "They say that it was a colorful stone, a pure vessel, or maybe even his life energy. Either way, the priest managed to use his strength to conduct their holy powers to deprive Iblis and imprisoned into a unbreakable seal, saving our world. Then afterwards, the priest just disappeared. Even though the town was at peace, the people of Sunny Town believed that Iblis attacking Sunny Town is a bad omen, fearing that another catastrophe will repeat itself, this time to be the end of days. Since then, nobody has been living in this town for ages."

"Wow! Some story," Rouge said. "If Iblis didn't cause this, what did?"

"Some say it was just a mountainous impact caused by a freak of nature," Topaz said.

"So it either a fact or a hoax?" Rouge said. "Hey, look over there!" She pointed over there at a mountain with a giant gap on the middle.

"Hmm..." Topaz took a closer look. "Trees may be growing but I can still see the trail."

Rouge flew up to get a good view. "I see it too. Is that the trail of the disaster?" Topaz nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?" Rouge announced. "Let's follow that trail and find some secrets!" She took off ahead.

Topaz smiled. _She sure is persisted! She'll do anything for treasure_, she thought and ran after her.

Rouge stopped at the huge crater hole. She whistled which echoed through the crater. "Sure looks deep!" She said. Topaz caught up with her. She too peered into the crater. "Hmm..." She said. "We'll need to go down there. The President said that's where the lost relic is."

"Leave that to me," Rouge said. She picked up her friend and fluttered down safely into the dark hole. Topaz switched on her flashlight. They landed softly on the ground.

They came across a secret laboratory. Everything here was in total ruins. It looked as if nobody had set foot in here for years. Rouge whistled. "My my! What a dump! Somebody hasn't been cleaning his room in ages!" She said, kicking an object.

"According to sources, that's where the accident happened," Topaz explained. "I think this was called the Time Machine Project, headed by the town's priest. His idea was to travel back in time to fix mistakes and errors in the past."

"Travel through time? Can they really do that?" Rouge asked. They gazed at the experiment room where the broken glass window was,

"The priest thought it was possible and decided to have this project set in this mountain. Against the government's warnings, he and the scientists tried to create a time portal out of Solaris' flame, using forbidden technology. But during a test run, the radioactive energy machine malfunctioned and caused the electrons of the flame to mutate, creating an explosion in the mountain that resulted the disaster over the town."

"Hmm.." Rouge responded, thoughtfully. Her hand is on her chin. "How can a machine failure caused this mountain to impact? Hmm...I don't know. Something's not right. It doesn't feel like the jigsaw puzzles are fitting together."

"I was thinking the same thing," Topaz said, flashing her light. "That's why we're here, to uncover more mysterious."

"Then let's start digging," Rouge said.

So they two look around around the lab, searching for answers and treasure. So far, as they rummaged through the abandoned laboratory, they found nothing.

"Oh man! Where could it be?" Topaz complained. "At this rate, it'll take forever to search every nook and cranny before we even find one thing."

"Cool your jets, Sister. There's definitely treasure in here alright," Rouge persisted. "I can smell it! My treasure hunter's intuition never lies." She placed her large ear on the metal wall and knocked on it as if waiting for a response. "mmm-hmm..." She then drill kicked the wall, revealing a hidden room. She pointed it to it. "Voila!"

Topaz was amazed, "I gotta hand it to you, Rouge. You're quite amazing when it comes to secrets." She stepped into the hole.

"I know. I have a knack for these things," Rouge said, checking out her nails.

Inside the hole was a crimson scepter with a broken orb at the tip.

"What is it?" Rouge asked.

"It appears to be the Scepter of Light, the one that the priest used during his experiment," Topaz answered. " Topaz said. "This must be it. The hidden treasure that started it all."

Rouge looked disappointed. "That's it? I was kind of hoping it would be a diamond. Oh well, it'll have to do."

Rouge and Topaz walked out from the entrance of the mountain.

"Don't you want to know what this does?" Topaz asked her friend, holding the scepter.

"Not really. I only care about anything that glitters." Rouge answered.

"Well, this gizmo was used to conduct the products of energy in order to create a so-called rift portal in thin in air..."

"Uh-huh," Rouge answered. Then she heard some movement nearby. While Topaz was chatting, Rouge realized that they weren't alone. "Sshh!" She shushed.

"Hey, I'm talking here," Topaz said.

"Quiet!" Rouge said, perking up her bat ears. "I hear something."

"What? I don't hear anything..." Topaz didn't have to finished because something confronted them from the shadows of the town. In front of them is a large canine-like robot with a long horn on its back called Cerberus, growling menacing at them in a droning tone.

"Oh, my...nice doggy!" Topaz whimpered.

"Hmm, must be this town's guard dog," Rouge said. "Guess it doesn't want us to leave." The robo-dog glowered its red eyes at the opposing partners. Topaz took out her gun, "come fight us, you tin can hound!" She fired at it, but it did no affect.

Its eyes glowed as it prepares to fire lasers.

"Look out!" Rouge cried. She grabbed her friend and dodged out of the way of the lasers. They rolled to the ground. Topaz shot some more. The mechanical hound turned around, scraped its paw to the ground like a bull.

"Come on, big boy," Rouge challenged it. "Show me what you got!" Cerberus charged at her like a angry rhinoceros. Rouge launched up and tornado kicked it in the head. Though it only stopped it in its tracks. It tried to bite the bat in its metallic jaws. Rouge smoothly dodged them. "Heel boy!" She shouted as she dove at its back. That only made it angry. "Geez! What's this thing made of?" Rouge asked with abrasion. She tried to poke the metal with her sharp tipped boots. "Whoa!" Cerberus tried to kick her off. She held on tight to its horn. It ran around like a crazy horse! Topaz screamed as she quickly dodged the mad dog's tracks! "Yee-Haw! Ride em', cowgirl!" Rouge shouted with joy. Topaz stood up to watch the rodeo scene. The robo-dog crashed through the old houses. Rouge laughed out loud in amusement.

_Hmph! Show-off! She's a real enigmatic!_ Topaz thought. "Make it crash into something, Rouge!" She called to her.

"Okay!" Rouge answered. She steered the horn and directed the robo-dog to the pier of the bridge. She flew off before it crashed into the pier. "Down boy!" She shouted.

Topaz climbed on a watch tower to see the view of the battle scene. Cerberus got back on its feet. Rouge glared at it, "Old Fido here doesn't give up, does he?" The metal hound opened its mouth as it gets ready to launch another attack.

"Be careful, Rouge!" Topaz warned.

"Cover your ears, girl!" Rouge commanded. Her friend did. The bat took a deep breath and unleashed a devastating screech attack against the Cerberus' howling attack! The sonic waves were equally matched that it created a sonic boom that blew off Rouge. Topaz nearly fell off the tower but the impact had made her drop the scepter. "Oh no!" She cried.

The scepter plunged to the ground. Rouge rushed over, glided, and caught the scepter in time before it hit the ground. "Phew! This guy's too much!" Rouge exasperated. "I gotta found a way to stop it! But how-" She suddenly gazed at the treasure. "The scepter...I got it!" She thought of an idea. She took off once again.

Topaz screamed as the angry metal dog charged at the tower where she is! "ROUGE! HELP!" She screamed. As the metal hound ran toward it, Rouge swooped in front of it, causing it to halt in its track. Rouge floated in the air, waving with scepter it was supposed to be guarding. "You want it?" She taunted. "Come and get it!" She took off. Cerberus chased after her.

"I hope she knows what she's doing," Topaz thought out loud.

Rouge led the robo-dog out of town and into the broken bridge. She stopped over the edge and just floated there. "Come on, boy!" She encouraged it. "Come to me, boy!" Cerberus charged at her. Rouge waited anxiously until the metal hound is close enough. At the last, she smoothly swooped out of danger as it came to a close! She actually outsmarted it by making it charge toward the end! It fell overboard and plunged into the deep ravine, crashing to its wreckage on the ground. Rouge watched it from the edge and walked away with the scepter. Topaz met up with her. She gave her a thumbs up as well done. Rouge smiled back and returned a thumbs up. Then they felt a blowing breeze above them. They looked up and saw their ride had lowered down to them to pick them up. The two girls got on the helicopter with their prize.


	7. Carter's Bitterness

Later in the evening, Sonic, friends, and whole Thorndyke family were supping in a beautiful dining room with sparkling crystallized chandeliers hanging over and was decorated with wallpapers of Renaissance art. The food was exquisite and delicious. Opera music was playing in the room. Tails supped his fancy dinner. "This place is totally fancy! And the food is awesome! I feel like a knight at the round table!"

"I know! I feel like a real lady being cordially invited to a royal dinner!" Cream said. Cheese chirped in agreement.

"Let's remember our table manners, dears," Vanilla reminded.

"Yes, Mama," Cream answered.

"That means you, Sonic. Feet down," Amy ordered.

Sonic who was sitting inappropriately, placed his feet on the floor.

"Also, elbows off the table, Sonic," Amy pointed out.

"Yes, Mom," replied Sonic reluctantly.

"Wow, this dining room's a lot bigger than my school cafeteria," Chris said. "It's like eating in a castle, huh, Grandpa?"

"Yes, indeed, my boy," Chuck said.

Sonic took the last bite of his meal and let out a huge belch. "Ah! That was great!" He announced. Amy kicked him. "I mean, excuse me! Heh heh!"

Robert was having a conversation with his family. "And then I said 'of course I can remove your 15 minute of your lunch hour, I'm the boss!' HA HA HA! What I say GOES!" He accidental whacked the serving dish off of his servants hands. It crashed to the floor. Robert turned around from his chair, "what are you doing? What is the matter with you? We have guests! Honestly! Clean that mess up right now!" He ordered.

The servant scrambled to clean up the mess. "Yes, sir! Sorry!"

Robert turned back around. "Teh! I tell ya! It's so hard to find good help these days!"

Nelson chuckled dubiously. "Well, maybe if you were a little, more understanding...they might take a little more seriousness..."

Robert's amber eyes glared at him like he doesn't like to be told what to do.

"Not that I think you're not a good boss, Robert," Nelson said. "I was just suggesting that maybe, you should, lighten up."

"Nelson, if I was any more softer than gelatin, I wouldn't have any employees left." Robert said. You gotta be firm to be in control. I've got a lot of stuff to teach you about being the better boss, little brother."

"Which reminds me, Christopher, you will be attending school with Carter first thing in the morning." Karolyn said.

"I will?" Chris looked up.

"Of course, I already laid out some clothes for you," Karolyn said. "Carter's school uniform should be able to fit you."

"Hmph!" Carter grunted like he didn't want to share.

"Chris is going to private school?" Chris' parents exclaimed.

"But Chris is on vacation," Amy said. "I thought all schools were out for the summer."

"Here in Solaropolis, we don't take vacations," Carter said. "We work hard."

The gang looked surprised.

"What my son is saying is that we want you to share the same experience how we Solaropolians live," Robert said. "Because of the solar powered conveniences, we got the time to finish what we started, like say, a science project or study group. We just love to be productive and get things done right away."

"Wow! These people here are workaholics!" Sonic said.

"Sounds like my kind of place to live," Tails said.

"What do they do for fun here?" Cream asked.

"We have tons of fun here, dear," Karolyn said. "There's museums, art galleries, parks, everything." She turned to her nephew. "Perhaps Carter will show you the sights on the way or after school. Won't that be fun, Carter dear?"

"Tsk!" Carter scoffed in response, chewing his steak.

Chris, Sonic, and the gang looked at each other in question.

"Is he mad at me?" He whispered to Sonic. Sonic just shrugged back in response.

"Wow! Imagine my grandson going to an all-boys' school for the first time," Chuck said.

"Hmm...I've never been to private school before," Chris said. "I wonder what'll it be like."

"What kind of school do you go to, Chris?" His cousin asked, tipping his glass of milk to his mouth.

"Well, uh...I go to elementary school." Chris admitted.

Carter snickered through the glass. "You go to public school? HA HA HA!" He cracked.

"Carter!" Karolyn hissed.

"Sorry, Mother, but it's just too funny!" Carter chortled censoriously. "Imagine, a rich kid like Chris going to public school with a pack of commoners!"

Chris felt awkward. "Commoners?" He thought about his friends.

"Yeesh! What a snob!" Amy said.

"What's wrong with public school?" Tails asked.

Nelson patted his son in the back as saying "don't pay any attention to him."

Meanwhile, Bokkun was flying through the night in the big city. He was looking tired. "Ohhh...can I go to bed now, Doctor? I've been looking around for hours!"

"No way, Bokkun!" Eggman shouted through the communicator watch. "Nobody's sleeping until we find that hedgehog!" He and his henchbots were located somewhere in the Solaropolis junkyard. He's hiding out until he hatches his heinous plan.

"He never lets anyone sleep," Bocoe commented.

"We've haven't got any rest since we were activated," Decoe complained.

"Quiet, you idiots!" Eggman snapped. "Do you want to be discovered before we even get a chance to attack Sonic? Now where could that blasted Bokkun be? He better find that blue spiky freak and his flea-bitten friends!"

Bokkun flew around in the dark estates until he came across a lit palace. He decided to check it out. He looked the window and spotted Sonic and his friends in the dining room. "Uh, doctor?" He called through the communicator watch. "I think I found Sonic and his friends."

"Well?" Eggman answered. "What are they doing?"

"Well, it appears that they're having dinner at some kind of huge fancy palace or something. I-"

"WHAT?! Sonic gets invited to dinner at a palace?!" Eggman screamed in ire. "That mangy blue rodent isn't even royalty! This is soooo unfair!" He slammed his fists down.

"Royal dining? That sounds like fun." Decoe said sadly.

"Even the king and queen likes him," Bocoe added in envy. "What a cruel world we live in!"

Eggman growled in vengeance. "I'll get you, Sonic! I'll get you yet!"

"I know what we can do; Let's go sightseeing tomorrow!" Vanilla suggested.

"Good idea, Mama," Cream said. "We're going to have lots of fun!"

"Yeah! We can do lots of shopping at the biggest malls there!" Amy said.

"And I get to go with you since after all I'm on vacation!" Ella said, arriving with the other maids with extra dishes.

"Not me. A butler's work is hardly done," Tanaka added.

"You know, you don't have to do that, Tanaka," Karolyn said. "You're our guest and we have plenty of servants."

"Don't worry about me," Tanaka said. "I just simply enjoy my job very much."

"Just make sure you be back in time at 7:30 for the charity ball tomorrow," Robert said.

"Great. Another formal party," Carter muttered.

"Did you say something, son?" Robert said.

"Do we have to do this, Father?" Carter asked. "It's always the same thing. I don't like doing this!"

"This is not optional, Carter," his father replied. "It's our duty."

"What if I don't feel like it, huh?" Carter retorted.

"Uh-oh!" Said one of the maids.

"What's the matter?" Ella asked.

"Here we go again!" Said of the servants.

"Here what will go again?" Tanaka asked.

The rest of the family and gang turned to watch.

"Now you listen to me!" Robert said seriously, pointing his finger.

"No, you listen, Father!" Carter retorted. "I'm sick and tired of this baloney! Why do I always have to do every single thing you say?"

"Because I am your father, you do what I say!" Robert replied firmly. "I am a Thorndyke and so are you!"

"Maybe I DON'T want to be a Thorndyke!" Carter raised his voice. "Maybe I'm NOT ONE!"

"Huh?" Everyone wondered about his loud behavior.

"Please, Carter, we have guests," his mother told him softly, touching his arm. "Lower your voice, sweetie."

"Shut up, Mother! You don't tell me what to do!" Carter snapped, snatching his arm back. Karolyn was taken aback.

Everybody gasped in shock. The dining room fell silent. Hercules hissed. Ella nearly dropped the pot of soup. "Oh dear!" She gasped.

"Did...did he just snap at his mom?" Tails uttered.

"Not cool!" Sonic blurted, disturbed by the boy's awful outburst.

"Ahh!" Chris gasped in shock.

"You better watch yourself, boy!" Robert growled warningly, fists clenching. "You deliberately one step closer of getting the belt!" His son just glared at him. "I will NOT tolerate this kind of behavior anymore. You will learn some respect and responsibility. And one day, you'll see how important life is, what it takes to put others first other than yourself."

Carter grunted in frustration. "Ooh! You're impossible! You never give a darn about me! All you care about are your stupid fancy affairs! Your so-called foundations for the stupid idle people of Solaropolis!"

"Carter Elijah Thorndyke! You are deliberately draining my patience here!" Robert fumed, standing up. He was getting fed up. "Whether you like it or not, you _will_ attend the charity ball tomorrow and you're going do it without any attitude!"

"Fine!" Carter shouted, standing up too. The chair fell. "But don't think that I won't behave! You can't always boss me around! Duh!" He folded his arms in defiance.

"That doesn't it! Leave the table at once and get upstairs!" Robert ordered. "I'll be up to discuss with your behavior! Get out of my dining room right now!"

"With pleasure! Huh!" Carter angrily threw his napkin down and stormed out of here. "Oh, one more thing, Dad, I never did liked your charities! So you can just shove it up your-"

"GET OUT NOW!" Robert roared.

"LATER!" Carter shouted. He stomped out of the dining room and slammed the door behind him so hard, the chandelier shook. The dining room was silent. Everyone were still shocked from Carter's disgraceful behavior. Robert angrily slumped back down into his chair and sighed in disgust. He then placed his hand on his face in shame. Karolyn sighed heavily and shook her head in disappointment. Hercules meowed questionably.

"Oh...my...word..." That was all Lindsay could say. Her hand was on her heart.

"J-just w-what was that all a-about?" Chris stuttered.

"That was...truly, just...completely unacceptable!" Nelson said with shock.

"Most definitely uncalled for!" Chuck added.

"That wasn't very nice!" Cream said. Cheese chirped in dismay.

"No, it wasn't!" Tails said.

"How very shameful!" Vanilla added.

"What a brat!" Amy added.

"That was without a doubt, the most uncoolest thing in the world I had ever seen!" Sonic stated, shaking his head in disturbance.

Ella was just as stunned. "I'll, uh, go check on dessert now!" She left the room.

"I'm telling you, Karolyn. I am this close strangling that kid," Robert said angrily. "That boy's going to get a good spanking for this!"

"Oh, Robert, that won't do," Karolyn said.

"Then what are we supposed to do? Huh? I can't take anymore of this!"

"I...I don't know."

"Perhaps, what we need is a good night's sleep," Tanaka nervously suggested. "I'm sure rest will help refresh the young boy's mind."

Nightfall came at the Thorndyke Palace. Everyone was tuning in for the night in a guest room. Sonic grabbed the a bunch of blankets. "There, that's the last one," he said. He handed it to Tails. "Here you go, buddy."

Tails took them. "Thanks, Sonic." The gang were snuggled up in little mattresses.

"Don't you want a blanket, Sonic?" Amy asked. "What if you get cold?"

"Thanks okay," Sonic responded. "I always sleep outside."

"Of course you do, Sonic," Amy said. "That's so you!"

"We get to sleep inside a palace," Cream said. "How cool is that, Cheese?" Cheese chirped in response.

"Sure beats sleeping in a hotel," Tails said, cuddling up in his blanket. "Or the attic."

"I still can't get over Carter's rude behavior tonight," Vanilla said. "His parents are so nice but their son...What kind of child would yell at their own mother?"

"Yeah," Tails agreed. "How can someone be so disrespectful to their parents?"

"I still can't believe Chris and Carter are related," Amy said. "They're so different from each other."

"I thought family members are supposed to be exactly the same," Cream said to her mother.

"Well, some are alike and some are different," Vanilla answered. "I would call this one the black sheep."

"One thing's for sure," Sonic said. "I'm glad we crashed into Chris' place in the first place. Can you imagine what it would been like if we were living with that blue-haired kid?" The gang shuddered at that thought.

"Ooohhhh! I don't even want to think about it!" Tails said. "His attitude was bad enough!"

"Things would have been so bad for us!" Amy said.

"I'm extremely glad Chris isn't like him. He was so good to us!" Cream said, cuddling up close to her mom. "Let's not forget that!" Cheese chirped in agreement.

"I'm sure whatever it is, things will turn out alright," Vanilla said. "It is likely for others who are tired or stressed out will surely act like that. He probably just needs a good night's sleep."

"I hope you're right, Mama," Cream said, drifting off to sleep. "See you in the morning."

"Good night, guys!" Sonic said.

"Good night, Sonic!" Said everyone.

Sonic stepped outside the balcony and laid on the rail like he does. He gazed at the pretty stars and moon. It felt just like home.

Nelson and Lindsay settled in a guest room. Lindsay set her make-up on the dresser. "There, that should do it for a couple of weeks. Now all I have to do is pick out the perfect gown for your brother's ball tomorrow."

"I'm sure any gown you choose will be just perfect, Lindsay," her husband said, taking off his shoes. "Just make sure you pick a knock-out one, not that I'm trying to impress my brother...Okay, maybe I am. But still, have fun with it. Any gown you chosen is fine by me."

"You know, I'm not really comfortable about sending our son to unknown school by himself," Lindsay said.

"Why not? Chris goes to school by himself everyday. Plus, his cousin Carter will be there with him."

"Yes, but this one's a private school, I'm just not sure if he could handle dozens of preteen boys there."

"Our son's a persistent little guy. I'd say that little rascal could handle anything."

"Well, he always finds himself in a bunch of pickles," Lindsay said, pulling a small photo from her purse. "And yet, he always gets himself out of them in a jiffy." She showed the picture to her husband.

That photograph showed Chris as a baby eating and slurping the bowl of chocolate pudding he knocked over from the kitchen counter. Ella was upset in this picture. Nelson chuckled. "That's true. He always does."

There was a knock on the guest door.

"Who is it?" Nelson asked.

"It's me." A young voice replied.

"Come in." Lindsay said.

Chris entered the guest room. "Hey, Mom and Dad."

"Hello, Chris," the parents said.

Chris approached his parents, "just wanna say good night." He hugged his parents.

"Good night, Chris," Nelson answered, hugging and kissing his son.

"Sweet dreams, darling," Lindsay added, kissing him. "Rest up, you've got a big day tomorrow!"

"Good night, guys!" Chris was about the leave the room when he stopped and turned around. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, Chris?" His father answered.

"What was eating Carter tonight? How come he acted so mean at the dinner table?" Chris asked.

"Huh...You know, I'm...I'm not really quite so sure, son," Nelson answered. "I don't know why Carter behaved this way."

"Did you think something happened between them?" Chris asked. "Should we worry about them?"

"Not that I know of. My brother usually just contacts me by the phone," Nelson said. "But whatever is going on, I think it's best if we not interfere."

"That's right," Lindsay agreed. "If it's family business, they will handle it. It'll turn out all right."

"I hope so," Chris said. "Good night."

"Good night, Chris," the parents chorused. "See you in the morning."

Chris left his parents' bedroom and closed the door. Maids and servants walked past him. As Chris merrily walked down the dark hallway, a angry voice was heard from next room, "...you make me so angry! You really do!"

"Huh?" Chris stopped to listen.

His cousin was in there yelling, "it's all you guys ever do here! Just to make me mad!"

His mother was at her dresser, "sweetheart..."

"Don't you 'sweetheart' me, Mother!" Carter snapped. "This is all your fault! Everything here is FAKE! A FRAUD! AN ILLUSION! I HATE THIS! I'M SO SICK OF IT, MOTHER!" Chris listened outside his door to hear what's going on.

"Carter, we are doing everything we can right now..." Karolyn said, giving up on him.

"Oh puh-lease! What do you know about caring? You'd guys never give a dang before! NOT EVER! You think everything revolves around you!"

"Listen! Your father is throwing a charity ball tomorrow for the good of the Thorndyke Industries. It is also a foundation to help those who are less fortunate and in need of guidance. It's our family tradition. A responsibility which we simply cannot turn away."

"Just another excuse to throw a fancy party for yourselves and the rich guys."

"You're not even getting the message! This is not negotiable. For once, try to be voluntary when you're participating with those affairs with us!"

"That's the thing, Mother! I'm _always_ doing the things you guys do! You always get to decide what we should or what we should not do! What about what I want? Huh?! Is that too much to ask?!"

"I'm sorry. What do you want, Carter?"

"All I wanted was to be left alone!"

"You want some time to yourself? Well, we can arrange that. We can call up a cabin reservation, or send you to a spa for a day's vacation or two."

Carter sighed in exasperation. "That's not what I mean! You know what? Screw this! Obviously, there's no use of talking to you or Dad! I'm done here." He turned his back and walked out. "I'm going to bed! Don't wait up!" Without even saying goodnight, he stormed toward the door.

Chris was still listening at the door and was caught by surprise when Carter swung it open. "Ah!" He gasped.

Carter rudely bumped him across the shoulder without saying "excuse me". He pushed a maid aside who nearly dropped the tray she's holding. He stormed down the hallway, shoving two more servants out of his way. Chris watched him in shock, then sighed in dismay. He then turned in his aunt's room who sat on the dresser in daunt. She sniffled from the treatment received from her son. Hercules purred on her side. Chris knocked on her opened door, "Aunt Karolyn?"

Karolyn looked up. "Huh? Oh, Chris. Do come in."

Chris entered the room. "Hi Aunt Karolyn. Is everything ok?" He asked sweetly.

"It...it's nothing to worry about, sweet-face," Karolyn answered, trying to hide her sadness while tending her smooth black hair. "Your cousin and I were just, having a little talk."

"A loud talk if you ask me," Chris said.

"You heard, huh?"

"I think the whole palace heard him. What was it all about anyway?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. He's just being a little..."

"Rude? Bratty?"

Karolyn chuckled lightly. "Kind of. He's been under a lot of pressure lately. You know hard it is when your parents are working a lot and well, you might as well sign up for some other activities just to kill time. He can be pretty lonely sometimes."

"Yeah, I know how he feels. I have my grandpa, Ella, and Tanaka take care of me. Still, I'm pretty lonely when my parents are away," Chris said, rubbing his aunt's back. "If you need any help at all, you can always talk to us, Grandpa, my mom or my dad, or even Sonic."

Karolyn smiled and held her nephew. "You are a good boy, Chris! Thank you!" She kissed him on the forehead. "Your parents are lucky to have you for their son. Your grandfather must be so proud."

Chris smiled humbly as he rubbed his head in modesty. He hoped everything would be alright.


	8. Silver Goes To The Present

Meanwhile back in the future, Israel glared over the ruined city from on top a battered building He gripped hardly on his hilt of the sword. He felt that something is wrong. Of course, everything's always wrong here. He felt the danger growing again. Dodger the Panda on his ostrich approached him. "Hey there, Israel. How's it going?" He said.

Israel shook his head in disquiet. "Pretty bad. Things aren't looking too well out there." More Iblis Minions are coming their way. They roamed around in the dark streets in a menacing way as they growled in hunger.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Dodger agreed. "Things are only turning in for worst! I think Earth is at its final days!" He said it gravely. His ostrich twittered.

"I know," Israel said. As he continued to eye on the bad view, something inside of his head clicked. He received a premonitory vision of terrible things happening, like Iblis attacking the town. Flames scattered all over everything. Israel groaned in pain as he suffered the headache. As the hallucinations flashed in his head, he visioned Silver, all alone, facing off with something more evil. Everything around him was in more ruination and destruction! All the heroes have became Iblis Minions, including himself. Silver whimpered in anxiety and anger. The evil being was about to take on Silver...

"NOOOO!" Silver cried.

"SILVER!" Israel cried in the hallucination.

"Israel...Israel!" Dodger called to him in his dream.

Israel returned to his senses. "Huh!" He's back to reality.

"Israel, are you alright?" Dodger asked with concern. Tiny, Fuchsia, and the squirrel twins surrounded them.

"It...it's nothing. Don't worry, I'm fine, really," Israel answered. He didn't want to upset his friends. "How's the research going?"

"Not sure," they responded together. "We haven't heard from Silver lately."

"Hmm...I hope he's doing ok," Israel said.

"I'd better go check up on him," Fuchsia volunteered.

She arrived back at the library and started to search for her friend. "Silver? Silver?" No sign of him. She peered at the table with a pile of books. "Silver?" The chair was empty. She stood there with curiosity, arms folded. "That's strange. Where is he?" She asked herself. She continued to search for him. "Silver? Silver!" She entered the computer room. There she spotted Silver, still planted on that chair, facing the the computer. She approached him. "Hey Silver. Have you found anything yet?" There was no response. "Silver? Hey Silver!" She then turned the chair around. "Israel wants to know if-"

Silver was fast asleep on the chair, snoring. Fuchsia had to flick him in the eyes to wake him.

Silver woke up. "What?" He uttered. "The Iblis minions are attacking again!" He got up. "We must stop them now!" "Calm down, Silver! They're not here!" Fuchsia assured him.

"Oh, heh...Hi Fuchsia," Silver said awkwardly. "I was just resting my eyes."

"Have you discovered anything?" The cheetah asked him.

"Well, so far, I've only discovered that Iblis was created from a lab scientific experiment called the Time Machine project which went wrong about nearly 212 years ago." Silver answered.

"Uh-huh..."

"It sought destruction throughout Sunny Town after the experiment exploded, nearly wiping out everyone. Then the priest stood up to it and sealed away Iblis with something called the Gem of Wonder."

Fuchsia listened with interest.

"I also found out that Iblis was connected to the town's sun god, Solaris. Solaris didn't have enough power to invade our dimension, so he sent his spawn, the fiery demon Iblis instead to punish this world for their foolish deeds. It said that only Solaris can step into this dimension when he is in his true form empowered by the seven Chaos Emeralds. The sun god would supposedly arrive on Judgement Day, using a dimensional key that is said to be contained inside Iblis' vessel, only to be awakened by anger and hate."

"Okay, first of all, what is a Chaos Emerald?" Fuchsia questioned. "Secondly, I thought Solaris was just a urban legend. How can all this be linked to the mythical being? And thirdly, if Iblis was sealed away in a vessel 212 years ago, then why is this world still being terrorized by that monster?"

"That's what I thinking. None of this makes sense! Except that Chaos Emeralds were powerful gems that were used to conduct something called 'Chaos Control', not sure what it means, but anyway, they were consumed by Iblis when he emerged from birth. I guess that's why nobody could stop it!" Silver sighed deeply in tiredness. He was really buried in his work. "All this stuff is now giving me a headache! I may never find the answer in time!"

"Now Silver, take a deep breath," Fuchsia said, rubbing his shoulders. "I'm sure you'll find the answer. Why don't you take a break for now and rest your eyes for a minute?"

"I would but I can't," Silver said. "This world can't afford any breaks! I'd give my eyes if I have to!" Then he caught a glimpse of something. "Huh?"

In the corner of the computer, there is icon that read "Iblis disaster strikes twice".

"Hang on a second," Silver said. He clicked on the icon. It opened up a old newspaper on the screen. It read: "Iblis Disaster Rises Again After 12 Years Past"

"'Iblis disaster rises again'?" Silver wondered.

"12 years ago?" Fuchsia asked.

"Hmm..." Silver typed in "second Iblis disaster". The search engines resulted. Silver clicked on one of the links. There it showed a picture of a wreckage of a airship, crashed into ruins. The headlines read; "Eggman's Airship Crashes! Iblis Rises From The Ashes!"

"An airship crashes?" Fuchsia read. "He rises from the ashes?"

"That's odd. How can a plane crash caused a second disaster?" Silver thought.

"Who's this Eggman? What's he got to do with it?" Fuchsia asked.

Silver typed some more. When he searched on "Iblis plane crash", more results came. He clicked on some more links, learning about the airship incident. Dozens of newspaper ads showed pictures of the Eggman airship crashes and strangely, the news also reported about the victims who died from accident. Our heroes, Sonic and the gang!

"Heroes Die In Airship Tragedy!"

"Blue Blur's Ultimate Sacrifice!"

"Sonic and friends lost their lives in a horrible accident!"

"The people around the world mourn for their heroes!"

As Silver scrolled along, the news ads showed various of pictures of Sonic and friends who presumedly died in that airship crash. The words on the computer screen reflected on his eyes. He is definitely getting somewhere.

"Miles "Tails Prowler The Mechanical Genius Died In Airplane Accident!"

"The Fallen G.U.N. Agent; Government spy Rouge The Bat fell victim to a terrible plane crash."

"Death Of The Angel Island Guardian; Master Emerald all vulnerable now!"

"Eggman Defeated...At A Terrible Price!"

"The Worst Airship Incident Since The Hindenburg!"

Even a picture of Chris and his cousin Carter was shown in the newspaper. "Thorndyke Boys Killed While Taken Hostage!"

"Whoa, man!" Silver exclaimed. "What could this all mean? This is mind-boggling!" He viewed a page of the victims' photos and profiles in grid order; Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, Rouge, Cream & Cheese, Chris, Carter, Eggman, Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun! Silver read all the exhilarating and hair-raising stories, feeding his mind with every single of data of the fateful event until eventually, he came to an awful conclusion! Silver gasped in dread. He saw a photograph of that evil monster Iblis, fully reborn, rising from the crash site, beginning of a brand new day of terror and darkness. Below a box read "Best photograph taken of Iblis, the immortal fire devil before fleeing from the scene. The headlines read, "A NEW AGE OF DARKNESS REPEATS! THE END OF DAYS IS FOREVER!"

"No way!" Silver gasped.

"Oh my gosh!" Fuchsia exclaimed quietly.

* * *

Silver gathered up his friends into sewer room next to the time machine to tell them the news.

"So what did you learned?" Israel asked, folding his arms.

"I discovered that Iblis had been reborn when this giant airship of Egghead's or whatever his name was crashed down into the earth, killing everybody on board," Silver informed.

"Uh-huh. And what does a plane crash got to do with the Iblis being born again?" Tiny asked.

"Well, the engines malfunctioned due to overload by the powers of the Chaos Emeralds which were collected on that ship for some conniving purpose. The Chaos energy caused all the machinery to grow unstable and fail. The doctor was unable to control everything in his hands. His actions sealed his and everyone's fate!" Everyone gasped on shock.

"The blue hedgehog that was supposedly the Earth's big hero was also killed when he and his friends were held hostage inside that airship! It is said that they were trapped when that happened."

"Really? That's terrible!" Said everyone.

Israel caught that word "blue hedgehog" like a fish snagging on to bait, and thought about it. "Blue hedgehog...why does that sound familiar?" He looked as if he was once acquainted with the blue hedgehog but couldn't remembered it.

"So, in conclusion..." Fuchsia put in.

"I think the airship accident is the key to Iblis' arrival. The day of destruction. I believe that will be the day the heroes will die and evil will triumph over the world and bring apocalypse to our very lives!" Silver declared.

"Are you sure?" Dodger asked.

"Of course," Silver affirmed. "Everything fits! The airship crash, the death of heroes, doctor's greed, and the Chaos Emeralds, they're the reasons for the monster's reawakening!"

"The Iblis Triggers!" The squirrel twin announced.

"Exactly!" Silver agreed. "We need to go back in time to stop that airship from taking off and warn everyone about the Iblis coming!"

"YEAH!" Agreed everyone.

"We'll do this together!" Silver said.

"Yeah!"

"Hold on guys!" Israel interrupted. "I hate to break this team spirt rally but we have a bit of a snag."

"Huh?" Everyone turned to him.

"What problem, Israel?" Fuchsia asked.

"Yeah, what's the hold-up? I'm dying for some payback time!" Tiny barked.

"Due to limited resources around here, I'm afraid this can of minimum solar energy I obtained earlier will only have enough power to send one person to another time dimension through this machine," Israel said, holding a tall propane cylinder tank containing solar power energy.

The animal gasped in aghast.

"Are you kidding me?" Said Rex.

"Only one?" Felix answered.

"Some much for working together," Tiny said.

"That means one of us has to go to the past!" Fuchsia said.

"But who? Who will have the guts to go to the past?" Dodger said. The gang looked at each other in discussion of who shall go.

"I'd go, but you guys might need me," Tiny said. "Besides, I probably wreck everything in the past."

"Well, somebody has to go," Fuchsia insisted. "We can't stay here and do nothing!"

"I'll go," Israel volunteered. "It's my idea, so I'll go to the past!"

His animal friends looked at him, doubtfully.

"You don't have to go to there, Israel," Fuchsia said.

"You're right, he doesn't," Silver stepped in. "I'll go!"

"What?" His friends turned to him.

"Silver..." Felix said.

"Why?" Rex asked.

"I must do this!" Silver announced bravely. "The whole world is counting on it! If I don't go, who will? I'll fight to the bitter end for the sake of the world, for the people, and for all living things of this world!"

Israel gendered at his silver friend with pride and admiration. He nodded approvingly. "Then by all means, Silver!"

Silver nodded. His friends looked at him anxiously.

"Silver, are you sure about this?" Tiny asked.

"The past is quite different, you know," Dodger added. "Kind of primitive."

Silver nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Fuchsia said.

"Let him have it," Israel said, installing the solar energy can into the time machine. "He knows more about the Iblis event than us!" He finished it and took a deep breath as he stared at the machine. His animal friends waited anxiously for something to happened.

"Here we go!" The human male announced. He switched the lever up. The solar powered can powered up the time machine. It whirred and created a time portal. Everyone gazed at it in wonder.

"So this is the time machine portal," Fuchsia said.

"Kind of scary!" Said the twins.

"Is it tested?" Dodger asked Israel who bluntly shook his head in response. "Didn't thinks so."

"There's no time for that, anyway," Silver said. "I've got to save the world!" He stepped onto the time machine. Before he could cross over the portal, Israel stopped him.

"Just a second, Silver." He said. He planted something in Silver's hands.

In his hands are a couple of golden wrist cuffs with cyan circles matching his circles on his palms. "What are these?"

"Time wrist cuffs," Israel answered. "As long as you're wearing them, you're protected from the time rifts during your visit in the past. Whatever you do in the past will affect the future but won't affect your existence as long as you don't take them off outside your timeline. Keep them on and you'll be just fine."

"Wow!" Silver said. He looked over his shoulders at the ruined city. He looked like he has butterflies in his stomach. He gulped.

"You still want to do this?" Israel asked him.

Silver hesitated and had second thoughts, but then he thought about the helpless people and the suffering children. Unless, he prevents Iblis from being born, his world will remain like this forever. So he responded boldly, "yes. I'll do it. Operation: Iblis Trigger is now in progress!" He put on his wrist cuffs, which glowed on his hands as they connected. "I will not stop and rest until I bring peace and justice to this world! You'll see!"

"I know!" Israel said, approvingly.

"Take care, small fry! Crush that Iblis seed into dust!" Tiny said.

"Be careful out there, Silver." Fuchsia advised, bowing. "You're our last hope!"

"Remember to stay low, cowboy." Dodger advised.

"Save our world, Silver." Rex said.

"We have faith in you, brother." Felix added.

"Remember, go to an earlier time of date before the day Iblis was unleashed," Israel advised. "That way, you'll have more time. Back then, the grass was green, the sky was blue, and everybody didn't have a care in the world, they were just happy. At least that's what I remembered."

Silver was ecstatic by his hopeful words. He nodded. "Thank you. See you later, guys." He took one last look at his friends. They bid him farewell.

"Good luck, Silver The Hedgehog." Israel said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Silver waved back and disappeared into the time vortex. At first, Silver falls through a colorful void of space, and then descended into a strange unknown dimension full of clocks. He floated there upside down for a while and then woke up, flipped up, and looked around in wonder. There were clocks everywhere. Must be time openings of the eras.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. He took flight through the clocks, searching for the portal of his destination. He found it up ahead. "Aha! There it is!" He took a deep breath. "Here we go!" As he penetrated through the portal, everything went white.

Back on Angel Emerald, Knuckles was still guarding the Master Emerald as usual. He opened his eyes in alert. "Hmm?" He stood up. "Something is coming!"

Above him, a time warp portal opened up in the sky and exited the silver hedgehog. Knuckles was surprised when he saw this. "Huh?"

Silver shook his head as if out of dizziness. He opened his eyes to see where he was. He hovered above Knuckles' domain.

"What the? Am I seeing things?" The echidna exclaimed in wonder. "Is that hedgehog...flying?!"

"Where am I?" Silver asked himself. "Is this the past? Wow! That time machine really worked!" He checked on himself to see if he's still in one piece. He took off at great speed.

Knuckles watched him go in marvel. He rubbed his eyes as if they're playing tricks on him. "I see it, but I don't believe it! Maybe I should get out more!" He said.

Silver flew around the landscapes, the mountains, the plains, over the forest, admiring the beauties. "Look at this! It's so beautiful!" From a farm nearby, a trio of kids spotted a aquamarine rocket jetting through the sky.

"Hey look!" One of them shouted, pointing. "It's a bird!"

"It's a plane!" Said another kid.

"No it's..." The third kid looked through the binoculars. "A hedgehog?"

"Let me see!" The kids made a grab for the binoculars.

Silver soared over the crystal lake. His reflection appeared on the water. "This can't be for real!" He said. He dipped his fingers in the waters, which skidded across and made multiple waves that sparkled at his face. He's really enjoying this! When he looked up ahead, he shouted, "no way!" Over there is Solaropolis! Silver decided to check it out. He flew through the golden city. The windows of the building were shining. The people were at their usual business. His fast flight caused a little wind which got some of the people's attention. A kid spotted Silver and exclaimed in joy as she pointed out. "Look! A flying hedgehog!"

The mother wasn't paying attention as she thinks her daughter is making up nonsense. "Not now!"

"WOW!" Silver shouted. As he soared by, policeman in his car took a glimpse of him. "Huh?" He questioned. He stuck his head outside his window with wonder. He watched the mysterious silver hedgehog fly through the city.

"I don't believe it!" The policeman stuttered. He wasn't expecting that.

"What's the matter?" His napping partner asked.

The policeman, surprised, put his head back in. "C-call me crazy, but I thought I saw a silvery white hedgehog flying through the city just now!"

"Oh come now, buddy! You've been working so hard you're starting to see things," his partner said. "Everyone knows that hedgehogs don't fly! It's impossible! HA HA HA! Next thing you gonna tell me is that pigs are flying! Besides, I thought you'd be used to it by now! All of Sonic's animal folks are unusual and have different abilities!"

Silver soared around the city in wonder. Silver then paused near a office building. He gazed at his reflection. Little did he know that inside, the working people noticed Silver and exclaims excitedly.

"Hey it's Sonic!" A woman said.

"Hi Sonic!" The people waved at the window glass.

"Wait a minute!"

"That's not Sonic! Sonic is blue!"

"Then who is he?"

"Maybe one of Sonic's friends!"

"He's flying in the air!"

"Awesome!"

"How does he do that?"

"Whoever he is..."

"He sure is cool!"

Silver floated in the air for a moment, viewing everywhere. He was fascinated not only by the pure beauty of this world, but the harmony of it. The sky is blue, the grass is green, the people are happy, and the best part is, there's not a single Iblis Minion in sight! Just how he like it.

"Man! This is soooo unbelievable! Everything around here is so beautiful!" At the speed of sound, he blasted off into a different direction. The people inside that building, watched him go in awe and waved to him goodbye. Silver soared around and arrived at a park. Flowers were everywhere, people strolled along, picnics, children playing, dogs fetching, food stands, and the water in the fountain was sparkling. Silver landed on top of a statue. He started to feel happy for once. He stood there for awhile to enjoy the freshness of air and tranquility. His eyes were closed.

_Wow! All this is way better than I could have hoped! _He thought. _It's like my nightmare has finally ended! I wish my friends were here to see it. You guys would have loved it! Israel, you were right! The world was filled with green grass, blue skies and smiling faces! And best of all, there is no danger here! I'd give anything to live here!_

Some of the people strolling here, noticed him and took a shine at him. "Wow! Look at that pretty coat!"

"He's so shiny!"

"Is that one of Sonic's friends?"

A walking dog barked at the mysterious hedgehog. Silver snapped out of his daydream. "Well, if I want a world like this, I'd better get to work!" He said to himself. He hopped of the statue and landed on the pave walk. "Time to fight for the future!" He walked down the park, starting his mission, Operation: Iblis Trigger. "Now where to look?" He thought.


	9. A Day Out in Solaropolis

An English female tutor was teaching a classroom of young male students some lessons. "Alright, class, repeat after me," she said. She recited a Latin phase. The boys repeated after her. "Again!" She barked. The boys recited once more. The teacher waved her ruler like a orchestra conductor. "Faster, people! Pick up the pace! Enunciate!"

The boys continued to recite Latin phases when a door opened. An innocent red-haired boy in a school uniform entered the classroom, panting. It was Chris on his first day of private school. The teacher noticed him. Carter and the other school boys stopped what they're doing and glanced at the new kid.

Teacher gripped her ruler. "Young man, do you see me standing here?" She said rather strictly. "Do you see these students working? That means that class had already started and you have arrived late!"

"Yeah..." Chris replied softly. "S-sorry about that, ma'am. I..." Carter gave him the "you-better-not-to-tell-on-him-or-else" look.

"...got a little lost. Someone must have gave me the wrong directions." Chris timidly explained.

"I see. I assume your name is Christopher Thorndyke?" The teacher asked.

"Yes ma'am." The boy replied.

"Interesting. You have the same last name as Carter."

Chris nodded. "We're cousins, ma'am."

"Of course, his father informed me that you will be attending here for a while. Since you are new here, your tardiness is excused. But do not expect any special treatment just because your father and HIS father possessed common blood and share the same last names of both of their industries." She pointed her ruler to Carter when she mentioned that. "You will hard like everyone else and follow our rules with no exception. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Chris said quietly.

"What?"

"Yes, Ma'am," He replied a little louder.

"I can't hear you!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" He finally shouted. Few boys snickered quietly.

"Good! Go take a seat, Christopher." The teacher ordered, pointing her ruler. "We are beginning our reading lesson and don't try any funny stuff!"

Chris nervously searched for an empty seat. As he went by, the boys glared at him with surliness. He gulped.

An African-American boy blocked an empty seat. "Uh-uh!"

As Chris timidly continued to find a seat, the other boys refused him!

"No way!"

"Get your own!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Beat it!"

"Nope!"

Carter just sat there, glaring at his nervous cousin. He looked like he's enjoying this. Chris caught a glimpse of him as he finally found an empty and sat down. He looks really afraid. Private school is definitely different from elementary school!

"Now then, class, let us begin with our textbooks. Gentlemen, turn to page 64." The teacher ordered. Everyone did except Chris.

"Christopher?"

"I-I...don't have a book, ma'am. Y-you see..." Chris explained.

"Of course! Julian, please bring Christopher a book!"

A green-haired boy tossed him a book. "Here!" It landed loudly on Chris' desk.

"Thanks, Julian!" Chris expressed.

Julian just scoffed in reply.

Chris, intimidated by his attitude, opened his book. "Okay, never mind."

"Now then, class, pay attention! Or so help me, there'll be consequences! Ericsson, read where we left off."

Ericsson, rose up from his seat, cleared his throat, and read from his textbook out loud. As he read on, Carter glared at his cousin from behind. He grinned mischievously as he took out a straw from his sleeve. As Chris tried to follow along, a spitball launched behind and landed on his nape.

"Huh?" Chris felt. He touched his back of neck and pulled out a spitball in his hand. He then exclaimed in disgust. Carter smirked meanly through the straw. He's the one who threw it! He then shot another one, it bounced off Chris' back. This time, Chris looked behind him to see who's doing it.

Carter just sat there, looking all innocent. "What?" He whispered.

Chris frowned at him accusingly. He began to realize that his cousin isn't very nice at all.

"Is there something wrong, Christopher?" The teacher asked.

Chris turned back. "Huh? No, nothing's wrong, ma'am."

"Ok, then, why don't you read from the book?"

"O-ok." He nervously read aloud from the textbook. As he stammered, the boys snickered at his performance. Carter smirked and shook his head.

Teacher was offended by his stammering reading. "STOP!" She cried. "What was that?"

"I-I...was just reading from the book like you asked me to!" Chris stuttered.

"You sounded like you're taking a ice cube bath! It did not sound proper! You sounded ridiculous!" The teacher said sharply.

"Mister Stewart didn't minded how we sound..." Chris started to say.

"Do I look like Mister Stewart to you, Christopher?" The teacher snapped. "Do not talk back to teacher!" She pointed her ruler at him whom frighteningly shut his mouth.

"This is your FINAL warning! Keep this up and you'll get the rack!"

Boys oohed. "SHUT UP!" The teacher shouted and slammed her ruler on the desk. The boys silenced at once. "Do I myself perfectly clear, Christopher? Answer me!" The teacher said.

"Yes ma'am." Chris mumbled scared stiff.

"What?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Carter muffled his laugh when he loved this.

Teacher cleared her throat in irritation. "Mister Carter, would you kindly read where we left off?" She instructed. "Perhaps you can show your cousin a thing or two of how to read properly." Carter seemed to be her star pupil.

Carter smirked in satisfaction. "Heh heh heh. It will be my pleasure, ma'am." He stood up, cleared his throat and took it from the top. As Carter read on beautifully, Chris sat there, feeling humiliated.

Outside the classroom window, Sonic saw the whole thing from the tree.

"Wow! Poor Chris," he said. "With friends like them, who needs enemies?" He took one last look at his best friend. "Hang in there, buddy! I'll check up on you!" He took off. He sprinted around the city. People were walking, selling, touristing, and shopping. He created a little bit of a gust behind him, blowing everyone off. "Excuse me! Coming through!" He said. He zoomed around the city, drawing the attention from his fans who waved at him in admiration.

"Hi, Sonic!"

"Hooray, Sonic!"

"We love you, Sonic!"

"Hey, guys!" Sonic replied, grinning. "I love you too!" He slapped people's hands on the way. He explored through the city in Sonic-cool style, leaving a blue streak behind. Little did he know that he was being following by Bokkun carrying a small tape recorder, spying on him. He zoomed past the cars, Sam spotted him and intended to catch up with him. "Oh yeah?" He switched on the engine and sped up to the blue blue. Sonic looked back and grinned and raced against his human rival. Bokkun followed them. The people stood at the sidewalks and watched the race. Silver was among and felt a rush of gust as the blue blur and speed racer sped by him.

"What the?" Silver said, surprised. "Was that?" He looked around, wondering if he was that blue hedgehog from the database. "I've gotta keep moving! No time for sightseeing!" He walked down the crosswalk with the other people.

Elsewhere, Amy, Tails, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, and Ella were watching a fashion show. Rock pop music played through the speakers. Model walked around the catwalk, showing off their sensational attire. What's in and what's out.

The cameramen snapped photos of them. Decoe and Bocoe disguised as journalists as they ogled at the pretty models.

"Look at all those pretty clothes!" Amy said.

"Look at those pretty girls!" Tails said.

"They're all so exciting!" Cream said. Cheese chirped happily.

"Just look at Karolyn!" Vanilla pointed out.

"She's a natural!" Added Ella. Karolyn was strolling down the catwalk, looking positively gorgeous in her sexy dress. Her black hair fluttered in the air, her green eyes sparkled, and her pretty smile gleamed. Decoe and Bocoe were dazzled by her beauty. Karolyn then pointed over to the streets. The people turned to where she was pointing. Sonic zoomed down the block, beating Sam. "I made it!" He announced. The crowd went wild. "Yeah, you win this time, Sonic," Sam conceded. "But there's always next time, pal!"

Sonic arrived at the fashion scene. Amy looked at him in admiration. "He's so awesome!" She sighed dreamily. Decoe and Bocoe spotted him as well. "There he is!" Decoe announced. "We must observe him up close," Bocoe said.

Sonic jumped on building to building to the tallest one. He yelled and gave everyone two peace signs. The fireworks boomed behind him. The crowd praised for him.

"Show us some tricks, Sonic!" One of the people hollered.

"YEAH!" Screamed the crowd.

"You want it? You got it!" Sonic shouted back. He began to glide down the banner wire and performed some stunts while sliding.

"Show off!" Decoe muttered.

"I could do that...if I wasn't so afraid of heights!" Bocoe uttered bitterly.

"You can do better than that, Sonic!" Another person shouted. A clown released a big batch of balloons in the air. Sonic grinned and launched off from the cable stake. He grabbed hold of a flag pulley cord and sprang up high in the air. As the balloons floated around, Sonic did homing attacks on them and popping them into confetti. Cream and the other children laughed and cheered as the colorful stuff sprinkled upon them. Sonic then grabbed hold of the pole of the fashion tent, and slid down spirally. He bounced off the tent and snagged loose another banner wire and swung around, pleasing the crowd. He let out a whooping yell. Decoe and Bocoe watched in awe. Sonic's Tarzan ride slowly came to a halt and stopped at the end of the catwalk. He hung upside down, grinning and winking. The crowd went wild again. Tails hopped up and down in joy. "That's my pal!" He exalted.

"Whoo!" Amy hooted.

"What a hunk!" Vanilla extolled.

"He's such a catch!" Ella added.

Cream and Cheese laughed in joy. Karolyn approached the hanging hedgehog and gave the him a big kiss on the nose! Sonic blushed. The crowd cheered. Amy gasped in outrage. "HEY! That's my beau!" She shouted angrily. "I'm supposed to be kissing him! No fair!"

Decoe and Bocoe gagged in distaste. Sonic gave the crowd a thumbs up.

Meanwhile back at the private school, it was lunchtime. Dozens of boys sat at long tables, eating and chatting loudly. One boy grabbed another boy's dessert off his tray. "Hey, I was saving that!" He protested. "You snooze, you lose!" Said the taker.

Chris waited in line and gained his lunch. He walked by a table where Carter and his friends are sitting. Carter spotted him and smirked mischievously. He stuck his foot out, causing Chris to trip!

"Whah!" He cried as he fell. CRASH! He landed directly on top of his food tray! All the boys in the cafeteria turned their attention at him and stared. With food splatted all over his school uniform, Chris painfully stood up, embarrassed and covered in food.

Carter stood up and pointed "Hey! Look at that, everyone!" He sneered. "Little Chrissy Boy had a accident! Somebody better call his mommy immediately so she can clean him up with a bib! HA HA HA HA!" He laughed in a bullying way. All the boys joined in, laughed with him...and at Chris. The poor messy kid just stood there in total humiliation. Trying not to cry, he rushed outside. He breathed hard in disconcertment and leaned on the back door. Pretty roses bloomed outside next to him. It seemed like a peaceful scene for the sad boy. Suddenly, a blue blur passed over the rose bushes. Chris felt a breeze. He looked up.

His friend Sonic arrived at school yard! "Hey there, Buddy. What's shaking?" He addressed, sitting on the brick fence.

"Oh, hey Sonic." Chris replied.

"How's it going in there?" Sonic asked.

"Not so well." Chris admitted.

"I can see that. Want me go in there and teach that Carter kid a lesson?"

"No that's okay." Chris shook his head.

"Are you sure? I can give him a wedgie, faster than you say 'Sonic'! He won't know what hit him."

Chris chuckled. "Tempting but no thanks! That won't be necessary. We wouldn't want to go any lower than him, or Eggman!"

"Yeah, you're right! Here, let me clean you up!" At the speed of sound, Sonic cleaned up his friend faster than a tornado! Soon, Chris was all sparkling clean. The boy looked at himself with satisfaction. "Alright, that's better! Thanks!" He gratified.

Sonic nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "Gotta run! Hang in there, Buddy!" He took off. Chris waved "See you later, Sonic!" He felt a lot better.

As he returned inside the cafeteria, a bunch of schoolboys were all waiting for him in gang mob. He gasped. "Hello, new kid!" The boys greeted in unison.

"Oh great. Just what I need." Chris uttered unhappily.

The same green-haired boy from class named Julian approached him. "Hey there, how's it going? Chris, right?" He said, putting out his hand as if expecting a handshake.

Chris attempted to walk by them. "Look, guys. I don't want any trouble, ok? I just want to get through this school day in one piece. So if you can just, you know, let me by..."

Julian grabbed him by the shoulder. "Relax, buddy. We're in no mood to pick a fight," he assured amicably. "We just wanna talk. Get to know you better. A little guy-to-guy chat!" He wrapped his arm around Chris in a friendly manner. He then turned to his boyfriends. "Isn't that right, gentlemen?"

"Right! Yeah, absolutely. Why not?" The boys agreed.

"Um, ok..." Chris said unsurely.

"Come, sit with us, brother! You're one of us, now!" The green haired boy invited.

"Okay," Chris said. He and Julian sat down at a table.

"Name's Julian by the way." The green-haired boy informed. "And these are my pals, Kenneth, Jetson, George, Maximus, and Xavier." He introduced his friends.

"Hello, Chris," the boys replied.

"Hi." Said Chris.

"So..." Xavier the Jamaican kid began.

"We saw you talking to that blue hedgehog outside earlier." A blond freckled boy named Kenneth spoke up.

"Yeah..." Chris answered.

"That wouldn't by any chance happen to be Sonic The Hedgehog, would it?" Asked a chubby boy named Jetson.

"Uh, yes. As a matter of fact, it is." Chris answered.

"My family's a big fan of Sonic!" Kenneth said. "My little brother looks up to him."

"You wouldn't happen to be that Chris Thorndyke who sheltered him and his friends and gone to adventures with them, would you?" A curly haired boy named George asked.

"Yes, I am," Chris responded, smiling.

The boys were impressed, "WOW!"

"Man! I knew that Carter had a cousin named Chris," Julian said. "I just didn't that he would be here right now, talking to us!"

Carter stood at the wall, arms folded and uninterested. "Hmph!"

"We're sorry for dissing you earlier, Chris," the long haired boy named Maximus apologized. "We didn't know who you were until now!"

"That's okay!" Chris said forgivingly.

"So tell us, buddy!" Jetson requested. "What's it like teaming up with Sonic?" The boys sat around in interest.

For once, things are starting to look up for Chris. "Well," he began. "It's both pretty fun and risky, could be dangerous sometimes. Sonic loves danger. I once went under sea and discovered an old sunken ship."

"Whoa!" Exclaimed the boys.

"A sunken ship!" Said Xavier.

Carter turned his back. He looked as if his plans to ruin Chris had failed. In fact, he looked angrier than before, as if jealous of his cousin.

As Chris told his story to the school boys, Carter stormed out of the cafeteria and stomped through the hallways. He grunted as he kicked and banged his fists against the lockers out of anger. He breathed heavily and barged into the bathroom. He leaned against the urinals and breathed more heavenly as if about to explode, trying to hold that rage within. It appeared that something may be bothering him. His sun necklace, that same one his parents wore dangled from his neck. He gazed at it and sighed in sadness.

"Why...why did they do this to me?" He moaned in depression. His turquoise eyes were filled in pain and misery. Something is definitely bothering him. But what could it be?

Back in the cafeteria, Chris finished his story. "I once went to the Space Colony Ark deep in outer space!"

"No way!" Exclaimed the boys.

"Get out of here!" Said Maximus.

"I even went inside Dr. Eggman's base once to save a friend!" Chris added.

"Shut up! You did not!" Julian exclaimed in admiration.

"Yep, it's true," Chris said.

"Man, you got guts!" Said Jetson.

"I would not go there, would you?" George asked Kenneth.

"Not for million bucks!" He answered.

"Or any other treasure in the world," Julian said. "Unless in Chris' case, it's a Chaos Emerald."

The boys laughed together. Chris has made some friends.

Carter washed his face in the sink. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. "You're ok, Carter." He soothed himself. "It's all cool now! You're okay!" He took a very deep breath. His anger and pain left him. He dried his face and exited the bathroom.

As he came through the door, his cousin encountered him in there. "So there you are, Carter. I was wondering where you went!"

"Whoa! Jeez! Don't sneak up me like that, man!" Carter snapped.

"Sorry. I just wanted to see if you're ok." Chris said.

"I'm fine! Thank you! What's it to you?" Carter retorted grouchily.

"Nothing, I just thought that-"

"What? Just because we came from the same D.N.A., doesn't mean you can just butt into my business like a jobless bloke looking for free meal!"

Chris was taken aback. "But I wasn't trying to meddle, I was-"

"I don't care! You listen! Whatever's going on in my house is between me and my parents! I will handle this personally. It has nothing to with you or your little furry blue friend! And for the record, Chris, you and I will never become friends! We have own paths! I stay in my path and you stay in yours! Until you and your talking freaky pets leave, stay away from me and mind your own business! You got that?"

Chris was shocked and hurt by his choice of words. Carter then shoved him out of the way.

Chris felt pity on him. "Carter..." He murmured. He scratched his head in confusion and sympathy. Anyone who was like that could be carrying a deep dark secret that only his parents know about.

Meanwhile, Amy, Cream, Cheese, Ella, Vanilla, and Tails were attending a museum of the Sun, Solaropolis' sacred symbol. They saw everything that had to do with the sun, the vases, artifacts, everything.

"How strange," Vanilla commented. "There are sun symbols on everything."

"Look at that giant blanket," Cream said. "It looked like it has a big bird on it." She pointed to a giant quilt with a familiar shape of Solaris sewn to it.

"I wonder what could it mean?" Amy asked.

"According to the guidebook," Tails said, reading his guidebook. "That 'bird' on the quilt is known as Solaris, the sun god of Solaropolis."

"Solaris?" The gang inquired.

"Their eternal god that is believed to be the ruler of time and space," Tails explained. "The sun is sacred to the people of Solaropolis. That's why everything here is solar powered. Legend has it that Solaris once terrorized the world with his fiery wrath. It will one day reappear to Earth to punish us and destroy everything."

The girls gasped.

"Eh, I don't pay any attention to that nonsense," Ella said. "Sun god of time and space, heh! Who ever heard such as thing?"

The animal friends turned back to the sun quilt and ogled at quilt in wonder if Solaris really existed. Eggman in person was also studying the sun figures. "Hmm...Solaris?" He thought. "That sounds familiar...I wonder I could use this creature's interesting power to control the world, or maybe even control reality." He grinned deviously.

Elsewhere, while Sonic was running through the city in the opposite direction, Silver The Hedgehog continued to explore the peaceful streets of Solaropolis. He came across a playground and spotted a bunch of small children, laughing, playing, and singing. He looked at them warmly. _Look at those kids,_ he thought. _They're playing around without a care in the world. Lucky them._ A ball passed in front of him, a boy chased after it.

"Hey, come play with us!" A kid called out to him.

Silver then arrived a marketplace. People were selling jewelry, china, dolls, clothing, etc. A woman was demanding something to a seller who was protesting her for some reason. Silver walked by a mirror vender where he saw his reflections in various shapes and sizes. "Wow!" He said when he saw large headed reflection.

He then witnessed a mob gathered around a something going on. "Hmm? I wonder what's going on?" He thought. He decided to take a look. It was difficult to pass through tall thick crowd. Silver jumped up, attempting to see there other side. He eventually crawled underneath the people and finally got a good view. There he spotted a sleazy dealer, betting against a person. He was seated at a table with three cups and money on his side. Silver watched with curiosity. The guy named Sleazy placed the pea underneath one of the cups and started swished them around. "Find that pea and you'll be home free! What will it be? Gained riches or broken bindings? Only Lady Luck knows!" He stopped switching the cups. The betting man pointed at a cup. Sleazy opened it, nothing was inside. The poor man lost. The crowd groaned in disappointment. Silver gasped. The swindling victim sulked his head down in discouragement.

"Aw! Too bad, Buddy!" Sleazy said, holding out his hand, demanding payment. "Looks like you owe me!" The loser guy paid him the money and walked.

Silver saw this in disturbance. "That doesn't look fair!" He said. "Time to teach him some manners!"

"All right, losers!" Sleazy challenged the mob. "Who else has the guts to take on the mighty sleaze? Hmm?" He pointed at each person in a daring tone. "Will it be you? You wanna go? How about you?" He pointed to a child.

"I'll take a swing at it!" A young male voice accepted.

Everyone looked down and saw Silver stepping up to the challenge. "Huh?"

Sleazy looked surprised to see him. "What the? Who the heck are you?"

"Never mind who I am," Silver replied. "I accept you challenge with everything you got." The crowd oohed.

Above, Bokkun arrived at the scene with a camcorder. "What's going on?" He said. "Is it Sonic again?" He took a closer look. To his disappointment, he saw only the strange hedgehog. "Oh, I guess not! I never seen this silver white hedgehog before though." He recorded the event.

Sleazy cracked his neck. "Okay then, small fry," he said. "I'm gonna wipe you clean! Say your prayers!" He started to swish the cups around. Silver watched carefully. His pupils glowed turquoise a little. Yes, he's using ESP to spot the pea, for a good cause that is. The dealer stopped swishing. Silver removed the first cup, revealing the pea! The crowd oohed in wonder.

"What?!" Sleazy gasped in shock. Bokkun wowed in amazement.

"Hmm! There's the pea. I win!" Silver triumphed. The skanky swindling dealer frustratingly tried again, swishing the cups around faster. Nearby, Amy, Cream, Vanilla, and Ella, shopping, spotted the game in progress.

"That looks fun." Cream said.

"What are they doing?" Amy asked.

"Nothing that we know of, dears. Let's keep moving." Vanilla said.

"Are they gambling or something?" Tails asked. "Isn't that against the law?"

Ella sighed. "There are some people breaking the rules. They'd do anything for money. Even by all means, swindling and cheating! Honestly, is there no justice in this world?" They moved along.

"Such shame!" Vanilla said.

Silver once again selected the cup with the pea and won.

Crowd was impressed. "Ooooohhhhh!"

"He's good!" Commented a shopper.

"How does he do that?" Said another one.

"Alright no more Mr. Nice Guy!" Sleazy grunted in frustration. As he switched the cups around, he secretly hid the pea inside his sleeve. He snickered sneakily and thought, _he'll never figure it out now_!

Silver once used his telekinesis to figure it out. He looked up glaring. "Nice try. I saw you hid that pea up inside of your sleeve." The crowd gasped.

"What? No, you didn't!" Sleazy sputtered. _Who is this freak_? He thought fearfully. _How could he possibly know?!_

Silver used his ESP to lift the surprised swindler up in the air, upside down! The people gasped.

"WOW!" Exclaimed Bokkun, recording everything. "I've got to report to Dr. Eggman!" He flew off.

Silver roughly jiggled Sleazy up and down, emptying his pockets, jackets, shoes, socks, all his attire. Everything valuable fell to the ground, including the hidden pea. Silver pointed to it, "what do you recommend of that?"

Sleazy sheepishly grinned and shrugged, trying to deny it. Silver turned to the surrounding crowd. "He's up for grabs, folks!" He said. He dropped the rip-off artist to the ground and evacuated the area before the people started capturing Sleazy and taking his dirty money and treasure, literally ripping him off.

"Hmm!" Silver let out a smug.


	10. Newfound Friends

School was finally over. Dozens of school boys scrambled out of the building like there's a fire. Chris walked out last, and waited for his ride to come. He saw his cousin Carter had already left. As Chris stood, he heard a beep from somewhere. He turned around and saw his Uncle Sam and grandpa Chuck waving to him in topless car.

"Hey Chris! Let's go!" Sam called. "Unless time froze here, I can't afford to sit here and wait all day! Let's go!" Chris rushed to the car and got in. "Hi Grandpa! Hi Uncle Sam!" He greeted as he put on his seatbelt.

"Hey! My boy!" Chuck replied.

"Hold on!" Sam said. He chuckled as he put the pedal to the metal. They went fast than the speed of sound!

"Whoa!" Chris exclaimed. Chuck grunted in alarm. Sam laughed in joy. They zoomed around the busy city, cruising. Cars beeped in the streets. The people were on the go.

"So, my boy. How was school?" Chuck asked his grandson.

"Huh? Oh, it was ok." Chris replied, worn out from today.

"Tough day?" Sam put in.

"Yeah." Chris admitted.

"School work harder?" Chuck asked.

"Well yeah, but mostly it's because of Carter." Chris responded.

"Did he give you a hard time?" Sam put in. Chris nodded.

"It's alright, Chris." Chuck consoled. "You know, when your father and uncle were boys, they used to constantly compete against each other at everything, I mean EVERYTHING! Basketball, bicycle racing, even at good table manners! HA HA HA! You should have seen them when they were at the lemonade stand. They were bickering about whose lemonade was best and who had the better prices! HA HA HA! Sibling rivalries these days!"

"I don't think it's the same, Grandpa. It seemed that no matter what I do, he's always picking on me. It's like he's angry at me or something."

"Don't let him get to you, buddy!" Sam advised. "Someday, maybe he'll grow tired of it and decide to bury the hatchet with you! I know I did with my sister! HA HA HA!"

"I hope so, Uncle Sam." Chris looked out his passenger window. He saw a couple of kids running, a church whose bell tolled, a couple riding in a horse carriage, a man bicycling, a band trying to earn some change, a man walking a group of dogs, and a woman carrying groceries. Nearby, Tails and the ladies were concluding their shopping spree.

"You're going too fast, Sam! Slow down!" Chuck nagged.

"Relax! I'm going the speed limit. I know what I'm doing!" Sam retorted.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Chuck pestered Sam about driving. Nearby, an unsuspectingly silver hedgehog entered the street where...

"AAH! LOOK OUT!" Chris screamed as he pointed ahead.

Chuck and Sam looked up ahead. "Huh? Aah!" Sam screamed as he stepped on the brakes. On the road ahead was Silver! He saw the car coming and yelled in alarm. The car hastily spun in a different direction...WHACK! The rear of the car hit the stunned yelling hedgehog who was sent flying and crashed through the garbage cans in the ally! Sam's car crashed into a fruit stand! The seller yelled in panic and fled. Melons and fruits splattered on the paint job! Sam, Chuck, and Chris panted hard after they went through this. The city folks gasped in shock after they saw what happened.

"MY CAR!" Sam shouted.

"MY MELONS!" The seller screamed.

"Holy Moley!" Chuck exclaimed. He turned over. "Chris, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine!" Chris answered. He then remembered that the silver hedgehog may be hurt. "But that poor guy...I gotta help!" He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, exited the car, and ran to Silver's aide. The people gathered around near the scene, wondering what happen.

"Did you see that?" They commented,

"He just hit a hedgehog!"

"Are you crazy, Sam?!" Chuck bellowed. "Gee Whiz! What were you trying to do, you crazy kook?! Kill somebody?! Just look what you've done!" He stood up, glaring. The people stared at them accusingly, muttering.

"It...it-it was a accident!" Sam stammered. "I-I didn't mean to, Man! I...I didn't even see that guy! He-he just came out of nowhere!" He slapped his head. Both were now arguing whose fault is it.

Chris ran to the ally. He searched through the trash cans. He found the stunned Silver who groaned in pain. Chris leaned over him. "Hey, hey are you okay? Say something!" He shook the stunned hedgehog.

Silver painfully opened his eyes and saw Chris for the first time. "...OW!...I'm okay." He muttered.

Chris smiled in relief. "Phew! I'm glad!"

"Huh?" Silver stared at Chris. The boy strongly bore a resemblance of his older human friend back at the future, Israel, except his hair is short and he doesn't have a bandage or a scar. Silver even had a flashback of him. For all he know, Chris could be Israel's 12-year-old ancestor!

"Israel?" Silver uttered.

"Pardon me?" Chris responded.

Silver shook his head. "Ohh...Nothing, sorry. It's just...You just remind of someone else."

Chris helped him up. "That's okay. I'm just glad you okay. Sorry about my uncle. He can be reckless sometimes but he's cool."

Silver patted himself of the dust. "What was that thing you're riding on?"

"You mean that car? My uncle's a race-car driver. He loves speed. He's also the leader the S-Team whose job is to protect the city from crime doers."

"Really? That's amazing! What's a race car driver?"

"You don't know what a race car is? It's a car that runs really fast. My Uncle Sam collects them. He wouldn't keep one if it isn't fast enough to beat a certain hedgehog."

"I've seen a car before," Silver said out loud. "But I had never actually seen it run ever."

"Huh?" Chris inquired.

"Nothing," Silver replied.

"Come on, I'll help you!" Chris grabbed Silver's hand and escorted him out of the ally. He is unaware that the hedgehog is from the future.

"By the way, I'm Christopher Thorndyke, but you can call me Chris. What's your name?" Chris asked.

"Um, Silver." The psychic hedgehog replied.

"That's a nice name. Nice to meet you, Silver." Chris led his new friend out of the ally and returned to his grandpa and uncle. They were cleaning the car up. The seller grumpily picked up his spilled fruits, grumbling bitterly.

"Is he alright, Chris?" Chuck asked.

"He's okay," Chris replied.

"Sorry about that, kid!" Sam apologized. "I guess I should have watched where I was going."

"You think?" Chuck asked him.

"Hey, guys!" Amy cried from a distance. She and her friends arrived at the scene.

"We saw the whole thing!" Tails said. "Is everything ok?"

"Everything fine now, you guys!" Chris said, waving.

"Oy! I keep telling you that someday, his reckless speeding is going to get anybody in a jam!" Ella said.

"I'm just glad nobody's hurt!" Vanilla said.

"Who's your new friend, Chris?" Cream asked.

"Huh?" Silver looked up when she said the word "friend".

"Everyone, this is Silver. Silver The Hedgehog." Chris introduced his silver new friend.

"Hello, Silver!" Said everyone.

"Ha, Ha! It seems like all the other animals have unusual names. Sonic...Knuckles...Big..and now Silver!" Chuck said.

"I can see why you're called 'Silver'," Sam said, eyeing his coat.

"Just look at that shining coat!" Vanilla said.

"Did she just called me a 'friend'?" Silver thought.

"What a pretty name! And it suits you well." Ella added.

Tails shook Silver's hand, "nice to meet you, Silver." He said. "My name's Tails!"

Silver eyed on his twin tails. "I can see why. Nice to meet you, too, Tails."

Cream hugged the silver hedgehog. "And I'm Cream," she said. "And this is my buddy, Cheese!" Cheese chirped in acquaintance.

"Hello, Cream. Hello, Cheese." Silver responded.

"And I'm Amy Rose," the pink hedgehog greeted him lastly. "I haven't seen you before. Are you new?"

"Uh...just arrived," Silver answered.

"Welcome to Solaropolis!" Amy answered.

"Uh thank you..." Silver replied. He wasn't expecting some people to be friendly to him.

"Well, I'm starved," Chuck said. "Who's up for pizza?"

"Yeah!" Everyone except Silver cheered.

"I hear there's a great pizza joint in town!" Sam said. "Hop in my car and I'll take you!"

"Sounds good!" Chris said.

"Yay! I love pizza!" Cream said happily. Cheese chirped in glee.

"Me too!" Tails added. "Especially the gooey cheesy ones!"

"Shopping can certainly build up your appetite!" Amy said.

"Would you like to join us, Silver?" Chuck offered.

"Well, that depends...What's a pizza?" Silver inquired.

Everyone chuckled as if Silver is joking.

"That's good one!"

"Real funny!" But apparently, Silver wasn't joking. In his dark timeline, he had never even seen a slice of pizza in his life.

"Wait, you're serious?" Amy said.

"You know, it's a pie with almost everything on it." Chris construed.

"What's pie?" The hedgehog was still confused.

"Ah ha ha! You're really killing us, Silver," Chris said. "Surely you must be hungry."

At his answer, Silver's stomach began to growl in hunger. He blushed in embarrassment as he clenched his stomach. "I guess I do feel pretty empty."

The rest of the gang got in Sam's car.

Chris dragged the confused Silver in the car. "Come on then, let's go!"

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Before Silver could protest, the car took off. Eggman was spying on them secretly. "Hmmm..."

Elsewhere, Topaz and Rouge were taking a well deserved time-off, window shopping. They were licking pistachio ice cream cones while passing a solar electronic store and a jewelry shop. "My, look at all this cool stuff!" Rouge exclaimed. "So many sparkling stuff! They're just as beautiful and glamorous as me."

Topaz browsed around the solar electronic on sale set out on selling stands, gazing at those gadgets. Alarm clocks, radios, (a song was playing in one of them) toys that move in the sunlight, batteries, phones, everything. "Wow! Everything here is solar charged!" She said. "That's why they called it 'the City of Tomorrow'. The whole world would be saved from pollution at this rate."

Rouge came up to her with a flier. "Check this out, Topaz!" She held it to her. "Robert Thorndyke, head of Solar Tech. Corporation is throwing a formal charity ball at the palace. Isn't that where we supposed to go by orders of the President?"

Topaz took the the flier from her. "Yes," she replied. "Hmm...interesting. This Robert hunk has the same last name as the one from Station Square." Behind her, Decoe and Bocoe were eavesdropping behind merchandise table. Bocoe knocked over a radio and broke it. "Oops!" He mumbled. The man behind the table approached them, cleared his throat, and demanded payment. "You break it, you buy it." He stated. The robots tittered nervously.

"I hear that they're brothers," Rouge said. "I'm surprised that they haven't formed together in one big Thorndyke Corporation. For I what hear, that big brother got a rare treasure rumored he's going to be unveiling tonight at his ball tonight. So we're going there and getting that treasure!" She munched on her cone and the two girls clasped hands of teamwork.

Silver found himself seated at the pizzeria with a group of strangers he doesn't even know. He looked up from the menu. Chuck was ordering a large pepperoni pizza, "that would be fine, thank you." The gang chatted with each other happily while Silver sat there quietly in puzzle.

_What am I doing?_ He thought, scratching his head. _I'm sitting here with a bunch of strangers when I'm supposed to be looking for the Iblis Trigger._ He looked at his newfound friends. _I don't even know them. Yet, they're being nice to me. But why? _He wasn't expecting any kindness from anybody since he after all, came from the dark future.

"Hey Silver!" Chris interrupted his thought.

"Huh?" Silver answered, blinking.

"What do you think which will win?" Chris asked. "Tails' X Tornado or the G.U.N. aircraft?"

"G.U.N. aircraft? What's that?" Silver asked.

"You don't know what an aircraft is?" Tails asked with surprise. "Haven't you ever seen one?"

"Nah, I can't say I have," Silver answered. True, he never seen an airplane of his life during his dark timeline.

"Boy, you don't get out much, do you?" Amy said.

Silver looked around and saw that people were pouring a shaker of salt on their food. He grabbed one on his table and dumped some in his mouth. Everybody stared at him in amazement.

"Mmmmm..this white stuff isn't too bad!" He said, consuming the salt. "Crunchy, bitter, but tasty. What do you call this stuff?" Everybody eyeballed at the mysterious hedgehog in shock and distaste.

"Uhh...Silver...that's...salt." Chris blurted out in aversion. "And I don't think you're supposed to eat it like that."

"Uh-huh...Whatever." Silver replied, continuing salting his tongue.

_He sure is strange,_ Tails thought. _Who is he?_

_He's definitely weird,_ Amy thought. _But then again, he's...kinda cute! Almost as cute as Sonic!_

"Hey, look! The pizza's here!" Ella announced.

The waiter placed the large plate of hot fresh pepperoni pizza and ten glasses of milkshake on the table. The gang looked at it with hunger.

"That looks good!"

"Yummy!"

"Everybody dig in!" They all each grabbed a slice and pigged out.

Silver just looked at it in curiosity. He'd never seen food like this in his dark future.

"What are you waiting for, Silver?" Chris said, slurping on the cheese of his slice. "Help yourself!"

"Are you sure it's okay to take it?" Silver asked unsurely.

"Of course!" Amy said, knifing her slice. "Go ahead, it's free!"

"Free? I was paying for it!" Sam said, gnawing at the tip.

"It's really, really, good!" Cream added, holding her slice. Cheese chirped in agreement, feasting on a pepperoni.

"Go on, it won't bite!" Ella said.

Silver slowly picked up the pizza by the crust. He looked at the dangling and the dining others and placed the cheesy tip into his mouth. "Aah! HOT HOT HOT!" He cried out in pain. The slice slipped out of his hands and splatted on the floor. He yelped so loud, people turned and noticed. His friends stared at him when he grabbed the milkshake glass and hoisted fast. He suddenly felt sharp pain in his head! "Ow! My brain!" He shouted. Everyone in the restaurant, including waiters and chefs turned and stared.

"He's got brain freeze!" Tails cried.

"Swallow it!" Amy said.

Silver gulped it down and then rapidly pounded on his chest as if trying to relieve some gas.

"Take it easy!" Chris advised him, rubbing the hedgehog's back. Chuck and Sam watched in bewilderment. Silver breathed deeply as the pain in his chest is gone. "You alright?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Silver gasped.

"Poor guy!" Chuck said.

"What a esophagus!" Sam exclaimed.

Cream chuckled quietly. "I like him. He's kind of funny."

"Now, dear, let's not be rude." Vanilla said.

"Sorry, I meant in a good way. He seems really sweet!" Cream said.

"He does look rather sweet." Vanilla agreed.

Suddenly, one of the waiters slipped on the pizza on the floor and tilted over the cart full of desserts. Cakes and tarts flew up in the air.

"Look out!" A waitress cried.

The desserts were about to splatter in the floor! The gang gasped. Ella screamed. Suddenly, Silver stood up on his chair, eyes glowing again, and caught the desserts with his ESP before they could hit the floor! The people looked up, astonished.

"Oh my goodness!" Ella exclaimed.

"Whoa!" The gang awed. Silver placed the cakes back on the cart, all neatly in order.

"Phew! That was close, huh?" He said.

Chris was astonished by his amazing abilities. "Wow, how did you that?" He asked.

"Do what?" Silver replied, hands and eyes ceased glowing.

"Make the cakes fly and not get messy?" Cream said.

"You even didn't touched them!" Tails added.

"Oh, I, uh, just lifted them up by using my mind," Silver explained. "I can move things around in the air just by thinking about it."

"ESP," Chuck analyzed. "Extrasensory perception. Amazing brain ability."

"That's amazing!" Amy extolled.

"Cool!" Exclaimed Chris.

"How about that? We got a psychic in here!" Sam said. Silver scratched his head modestly.

"Where are you from, Silver?" Chuck asked.

"A lot of places." Silver answered.

"Are you traveler, Silver?" Tails asked.

Silver shrugged and cocked his head. "You can say that."

"Where exactly were you born?" Amy asked

"I...can't tell you." Silver hesitated.

"Huh?" Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean you can't tell us?" Chris asked. "What's up, Silver?"

"Well, it's a little complicated. You see, I..." Silver began to say.

"Actually, we don't see." Chuck interrupted. "Explain yourself, young man."

Silver shook his head no. "I can't. It's top secret. Sorry." Everyone looked at each other, wondering what's up.

"Actually, the truth is, I'm looking for something called, 'Iblis Trigger'."

"Huh?" Everyone uttered.

"'Iblis Trigger'?" Chris inquired.

"What's the Iblis Trigger, Mama?" Cream asked her mother.

"I don't know, dear!" Vanilla replied.

"Sounds scary!" Cream said. Cheese chirped.

"I'm not sure we follow you, Silver," Chuck said. "Though the name sounds familiar."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sam asked.

"Uh, no thanks, guys!" Silver replied, hopping of his chair. "This is something I gotta handle on my own!"

"That's fine, Silver," Ella said. "We should be heading back to the palace anyway. You guys need to get ready for tonight."

"Right!" Everyone agreed.

"Get ready for what?" Silver asked. "What's tonight?"

Everyone stood up.

"My uncle's throwing a charity ball at his castle tonight." Chris answered. "Not this uncle, my other uncle. My dad's brother."

"He runs the solar-powered machinery company." Sam added.

"My eldest son will also be revealing his most prized treasure that's supposed to be more valuable than any other gemstone in the world," Chuck said. "Not to mention more powerful than a Chaos Emerald!"

Tails spat out his milkshake in shock. Everyone was stunned by his words.

"Really?!" Cream proclaimed.

"More powerful than the Chaos Emeralds?!" Amy exclaimed.

"How could that be?" Tails cried.

"We'll just have to find out tonight," Chuck said.

Silver was just as surprised. _What? Another gem? More powerful than the Chaos Emerald?! That didn't show out in the data room!_ He hastily ran out the door. "Yeah, I'm sorry!" He said. "I really have to go!"

"Will we see you again, Silver?" Chris asked.

"Maybe..." Silver answered dubiously. "Later!" He took off at psychic speed!

The gang were awed that the mysterious silver hedgehog could also fly with his ESP.

"Did you see what I just saw?" Tails said in marvel.

"Yes, but I don't believe it!" Vanilla answered in surprise.

"That's something you don't see everyday!" Chuck added.

"He may be mysterious, but he's pretty cool!" Chris said. "I wonder what's it like to fly like that?"

At the pizza restaurant, Eggman and his henchmen were also dining at the table, absorbing every word they heard.

"Did you hear that?" Eggman whispered to his robots. "They will be hosting a magical gemstone at that charity ball! More magical than a Chaos Emerald!"

"Amazing!" Decoe said.

"You can say that again!" Bocoe added.

"Mmm! Ice cream and cake!" Mumbled Bokkun, stuffing his face in a ice cold chocolate dessert.

"Come, my slacking morons! We must retreat to the hidden lair and see what information we collected!" Eggman ordered. "Check, please!"


	11. Promenade Night

**Attention Readers,**

**Pardon the interruption, but I decided to edit and add some changes in this chapter. I wanted to put a little more action and tense in this chapter and I know you readers want more of it too.**

**To bearvalley3356; Sorry, I had to erase your last review. It's just I had to reedited this chapter. Didn't wanted it to seem outdated. You can rewrite your review for this chapter if you want. I really enjoy your support. It helps gain me expierience.**

**I still have a lot of chapters to go, I hope everyone's enjoying this story so far.**

**Peace**

Evening fell over the Thorndyke palace.

"Aah-HA-HA! There you are, boys! You like proper young gentlemen!" Karolyn said. Her son and nephew were cleaned up and suited up for the party. Both of them wore black tuxedoes and had their hairs combed back smooth. They looked at themselves in the mirror. "Hmph!" Carter grunted in an unamused tone as he smoothed his blue hair back. Chris chuckled uneasily as he tried to loosen his choking tie.

"Now, try not to strain it, dolls!" Karolyn advised. "Or else, it'll ruin the effect of your appearance."

"Whatever you say, Mother," Carter replied, adjusting his jacket. Sonic and Tails came out from the large wardrobe, also wearing tuxedo jackets. They felt a little stiff and uncomfortable formal attire, for they had never wore clothes before.

Ugh! Now I see why guys don't often dress up like this!" Sonic said, tugging his collar. "I feel like a plastic boy doll fresh out of the box! And my head itches! Errgh! How do these people stand this so-called hair gel?!" He rapidly scratched his blue quills.

Chris snickered quietly.

"What are you laughing at, preppy boy?" Sonic retorted. Chris suddenly quieted.

"Um, Mistress Thorndyke, is this really necessary?" Tails asked.

"Why, of course my dears! It's the way of Thorndykes!" Karolyn replied. "We all must look our very best when representing the contribution to those who cannot pick themselves up after falling down, otherwise we'd all look terrible! Hee Hee Hee!" Hercules meowed listlessly. Carter scoffed.

A feminine voice called from the hallway, "Karolyn? Christopher?"

"In here, Lindsay." Karolyn called out. Hercules on her side, meowed.

Lindsay entered the room. "There you are, Christopher!" She said. "My! Don't you look fabulous!" She hugged her son in pride. "My little boy is all grown up!" Then she looked in Chris' eyes. "Oh dear," his mom said. "You've got some stuff in your eyes, darling! Let's take care of that!" She used a handkerchief to wipe her son's eyes.

"Mom!" Chris exclaimed in embarrassment. Carter chuckled. Karolyn licked her thumbs and smoothed Carter's eyebrows who writhed in discomfiture. "Ugh! Mother!" He protested. Sonic and Tails snickered quietly.

Robert entered the bedroom, already dressed for his ball. "Ah, my family! Is everyone ready?" He asked.

"Yes! Of course! Ready when you are! Right on!" They agreed.

"When does the party start?" Sonic asked. "I'm willing to get down and busy!" He showed of his dance move.

"Now, Sonic," Chris said. "This isn't just any other rave party that you can just go crazy! It's one of those gotta-take-it-slow parties!"

"A slow dance party?" Sonic said it with distaste. "Great! That means I get to stand still for a while. How exciting!"

"I'm sure it'll be fun, Sonic!" Tails assured him. "Think of it as just moving in slow motion." Sonic groaned in response.

"Now, before we get this party started," Robert said. "Let's go over the reviews again..."

Before he could speak, a security guard entered the room. "Master Thorndyke, we have a situation!" He reported.

"What is it?" Robert asked.

"We have an intruder!" The security guard said.

"An intruder?" Robert said.

"An intruder?" Sonic and the gang repeated. Hercules meowed questionably.

"The intruder was found wandering around the palace uninvited. But don't worry, sir, we caught him. We just thought you like to be informed." The security guard said.

"Who was the intruder?" Robert asked.

The answer quickly came to him when an angry voice exploded from the hallways that made the Thorndyke family jump. "HEY! What are you-GET OFF ME! Take your hands off me!"

Karolyn and Lindsay gasped. Hercules hissed.

"What was that?" Carter asked.

"Uh-oh.." Chris began to say.

"I know that anger," Sonic said.

A huge buffed security guard entered the room with a ticked off red echidna, fidgeting in rage. "This is the intruder, sir."

Sonic and the Thorndyke family let out a surprised gasp. Knuckles was furiously struggling to break free from the guard's control. "HOW DARE YOU!" He yelled. "Who did you think you're dealing with?! I am the GUARDIAN of ANGEL ISLAND! LET ME GO OR ELSE!"

"Knuckles?" His friends addressed him.

Knuckles abruptly stopped moving. "Chris? Sonic? What are you guys doing?"

"Well, this is my relatives' house." Chris answered. "What you doing here?"

"Yeah, we didn't think you were going to visit here, Knuckles," Tails said. "We thought you were just going to protect the Master Emerald all day."

"I heard rumors about a valuable treasure going be revealed here so I thought I should, you know, check it out." Knuckles said.

"Would someone kindly explained to me what is that thing doing in my property?" Carter piped up.

"THING?!" Knuckles, provoked, turned to the rude bratty kid. "I know you're not talking about me, pretty boy!" Carter glared at him.

"Oh boy!" Chris muttered uneasily.

"We caught him trespassing through the yard." The guard explained. "What should do with him?"

"I wasn't trespassing!" Knuckles snapped. "I was looking for a Chaos Emerald! You got a problem with that?!"

"Should we lock him up?" The other guard asked Robert.

"Well..." Robert turned to his wife for a opinion who just shrugged unsurely.

"Yeah! Trespassers should always be locked up!" Carter said.

"No, don't! He's our friend!" Chris put in, grabbing the guard's arm.

"Yeah, he's with us!" Tails added.

"You guys, know this, uh...gentleman?" Robert asked the boys.

"Hmmm...Never seen him before in my life." Sonic joked.

"Sonic!" Chris, Knuckles, and Tails cried in alarm.

"Relax! I'm only kidding!" Sonic assured. "He's with us, sir. Put him down, dude."

"You heard him! Put me down NOW!" Knuckles barked at the guard.

"Well, as I always say, any friend of my nephew is a friend of mine! Put him down, John." Robert ordered.

John the security guard dropped Knuckles to the floor. He groaned in pain and annoyance.

"You alright, Knuckles?" Chris asked with concern.

"Great, just what we need, another filthy wild animal in the house." Carter said.

"What did you say?!" Knuckles growled. He presented his fist to blue-haired boy. "You better watch yourself, pal! My dreadlocks are like sticks of dynamite! They'll blow up in your face if you lit the wrong fuse!"

"Hmph! For a short guy, you talk big!" Carter retorted, looking down at the red echidna. "Guess your bark is worse than your bite!"

Knuckles growled in provocation. "You're asking for it!" He and Carter locked horns. Sparks were flying!

"Oh dear," Lindsay gasped.

"That can't be a good sign!" Chris put in.

"These two are more hot-headed than ever I know of," Tails added.

Sonic stepped in between them, "whoa! Hey guys, cool it!" He said, trying to cool them off. "Let's not try and start a fire here! This is a palace, not a wrestling arena!"

The two continued to fiercely glared at each other in dislike. They growled at each other.

Karolyn decided called in a halt "Ok, you two, that's enough!" She said, pulling her son and the echidna away. "There will be no brawling in this house! Everyone except the red echidna head to ballroom now." Knuckles signaled Carter "I'll deal with you later!". Carter glared back and signaled "that's fine by me!". Lindsay escorted her son, nephew, and friends halfway to the door. Hercules left the bedroom.

"Of course, Karolyn," Robert said. "No doubt you're going to take care if our unexpected guest. You better be careful, dear. He looks like he means business! Guess the echidna wasn't the 'i-kid-na' type! Get it? I-KID-NA?" Robert laughed at his punning joke. "I kill myself!"

Lindsay, Chris, Sonic, and Tails shook their heads in unamusement as they left the room.

"Oh, Robert," Karolyn said, unhumorously.

Carter slapped his forehead in embarrassment. "Father, please!" He exited.

"Huh? I don't get it," Knuckles said in confusion.

"You come with me, sweetheart," Karolyn addressed him. "I'll have you prepped up into a glowering stud in no time." She headed to the large wardrobe. Knuckles followed her with arms folded. "Hmph!"

"Try not to take too long," Robert said as he headed downstairs to the ball.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the junk yard hideout, Eggman and his henchbots were gathered round at the table to see what information they have collected and think of a plan to destroy Sonic and his friends.

"Well, so far I think Sonic has a weakness for pretty girls," Decoe said, replaying the video of Sonic getting kissed by Karolyn Thorndyke.

"And that Amy Rose gets easily ticked off when someone flirts with her boyfriend, Sonic." Bocoe said. "Maybe we could get her angry enough to...to...ok I don't know. Dumb suggestion."

"And I think that Sonic can't resist any race challenged to him," Bokkun said, viewing the tape of Sonic and Sam racing. "He loves being the best at everything!"

"Bah!" Eggman yelled in dissatisfaction. "No, no, no! It's not nearly enough! What else is there?"

"We also found out that Rouge the Bat and her friend Topaz like jewelry and cool stuff!" Bocoe added.

"We already know that!" Eggman snapped.

"I caught this mysterious hedgehog on video," Bokkun said, showing the doctor the replay of Silver taking on the cheating swindler. "Check out his power!"

"What's that got to do with Sonic!" Eggman demanded. "I'm only interested in Sonic's weak spot, not some weird-looking strange animals!" He growled and knocked all the cameras and notebooks off of the henchmen's hands. Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun look afraid.

"These are not the type of data we're searching for!" Eggman barked. "Remember, we're not just trying to eliminate Sonic for good! I want to make him suffer a long and painful demise, just for my amusement! I want his hide on my trophy on my Eggman Empire lair! Otherwise we can kiss world domination goodbye! What is that pesky little hedgehog's weakness? What truly hurts Sonic the most?" He thought hard.

Bokkun reached inside the jar for the last cookie in the bottom and got himself stuck.

"I hate to say this, Doctor," Decoe put in. "But I'm beginning to think that maybe Sonic doesn't have a weakness."

"Of course he has a weakness, you idiots!" Eggman barked. "Every hero has a weakness! Even Achilles had a defenseless soft spot on his ankle and look what happened to him!" He did some thinking. "Whenever Sonic curls into a ball, he is untouchable and invincible. However, if we could somehow force him to uncurl from his attack ball, we strike down at his soft belly and then put him down for good. He will be vulnerable when he's at my mercy."

Bokkun finally broke the jar. He held the cookie. "I got it!" He munched on it. "Even if you managed to trample Sonic, his friends will always come to his aid." He mumbled with mouth full. "Unless you hold them all hostage to prevent them from backing him up!"

"THAT'S IT!" Eggman suddenly bellowed. His voice was so loud it blew away Bokkun and caused the robots to collapsed in startlement. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?!"

"W-w-what is up Doctor?" Decoe stuttered.

"Sonic's weakness are his loving friends!" Eggman answered. "It's so simple!"

The three henchmen got up. "I'm not sure we follow you, sir," Decoe said.

"Yeah, what's Sonic friends got to do with it?" Bocoe answered.

"Don't you see? As long as Sonic got his friends on his side, he's cool as a cucumber," Eggman stated. "But what if we, let's say, capture his friends and hold them hostage and Sonic will have no choice but to surrender. Then I will finish him off while he's down and out of will to fight back like a helpless insect on flypaper."

The robots looked at each other in awe and are impressed.

"That sounds brilliant," Decoe said.

"You can say that again!" Bocoe added.

"I never heard this one!" Bokkun added.

"Actually, I just thought something even better!" Eggman grinned malevolently. "This child called Carter Thorndyke is the son of the richest man in Solaropolis and the president of the Thorndyke Solar Industries. Tonight, his father will be hosting a formal charity ball and will also be unveiling the secret treasure. I also heard that Thorndyke keeps solar technology blueprints in his office! I can use them to build my own solar killing machine!" He pointed to the robots. "You! You shall sneak into the party in disguise and seek and search the Thorndyke's secret office and steal the documents!" He threw the ballroom costumes to them.

Decoe and Bocoe pointed at themselves in query. "Us?"

"That's right! And then when the time is right, we'll crash into the party, steal the treasure and take the kid and hold him as my prisoner! Sonic and his worthless pals will have no choice but to give in to my demands and bring me 7 Chaos Emeralds in exchange for the kid's safety. And then we'll imprison them too, holding everyone including Sonic as my first slaves of the Eggman Empire! It'll be like killing two birds with one stone! Or should I say, killing two hedgehogs with one egg! There'll will be no one left to stop me! THIS TIME I WILL TRIUMPH! HA HA HA!" He laughed evilly.

"You know what? This may actually work!" Bocoe said.

"Of course it'll work! It's a foolproof plan that even you idiots can't mess this up!"

"Thanks, Doctor! What a nice thing to say!" Bocoe said.

"Now let's get to work!" Eggman ordered. He held up his wrench. "World domination is just around the corner!" He began to work on his creation.

"Here we go again!" Bokkun announced. So he and the robots went to work on their most diabolical plan yet.

* * *

Nighttime had hit Solaropolis. Most lights were on, brightening the dark city. With numerous of colors of the solar-charged lightning, the vast golden city was beautiful. Silver, still searching for the Iblis Trigger, flew across the showering city. He stared at it in amazement.

_Wow! Even at night, the city looks so beautiful!_ He thought. _It's incredible!_ He soared through the incandescent streets. Neon lights gleamed over the happy customers. People were talking, teens were grooving on a colorful dance park, dating, chatting in outdoor restaurants, enjoying the evening. Children wandered around playing, some had sparklers in their hands like their celebrating something. Silver looked at them with pleasure. _Those people down there..._ He thought. _They all look so happy. Without a single Iblis creature to bother them, they don't have to worry about anything what's coming to them, except how to enjoy the night._ He then landed on top of the tallest spire. He gazed at the view of the glorious radiant city. His yellow eyes sparkled from the light. Inside, he felt happy. He then gazed at the large moon, welcoming the silver guest from the future with its white showering rays.

"No way!" Silver exclaimed. "I didn't even know that this large glowering circle existed! And those strange sparkling diamonds in the sky! Everything here is just so AMAZING!" He launched off from the spire and landed on another tall building. "As soon as I defeat Iblis, I'm going to make sure that this will look like my future!" Suddenly, some more colorful lights flashed all over his body and face. "Huh?" He looked around. In the sky, fireworks boomed in the starry night. Silver gasped in wonder. The people gazed at the fireworks and clamored with excitement.

Silver looked at the fireworks in amazement. "What's that?" He asked himself. "Is that fire? No! Those things look pretty harmless. I wonder if there's a super event going on..." He gazed at the view and spotted the huge Thorndyke Palace, all brightened up.

A festive formal charity ball was taking place inside the large ballroom. The men were dressed in their best tuxedoes while the women wore beautiful gowns, and masquerade masks. They whooped, clapped, and waltzed to the classical music played by the musicians on the plateau. Everyone was having a great time, including Sonic and friends.

"Come all, come forth, my friends!" Robert announced, wearing in a green mask. "Dance the night away until your legs give out!"

Lindsay and Karolyn escorted their sons to the dance floor. They were also wearing masquerade masks.

"Christopher dear, this girl right here doesn't have anybody to mingle with," Lindsay said, introducing a girl about Chris' age wearing a purple dress, curled twin tails, and a purple mask. "Would you be her dance partner?"

"Sure, why not?" Chris replied. He took the girl's hands.

"I'm Vivian," the girl said. "What's your name?"

"Chris." The two began to waltz.

"Carter, ask that girl if she would like to dance," Karolyn said, pointing to a blond haired girl in a green dress.

"Eh, whatever," Carter responded, walking toward the girl, hands in pocket. "Hey, you wanna dance or something?" He asked her.

"Okay," the girl said. "My name's like, Brianna."

"Carter Thorndyke." The two started waltzing with each other.

Cream and Tails stood around in amusement, watching the partygoers waltzed in a circle. "This is great!" Cream said. She was wearing a yellow dress with flower beads on her ears and a gold mask. Cheese chirped. He's also wearing a mask.

"Yeah! I'd never been in one of these type of parties before. How awesome!" Tails agreed. He was wearing green mask. They continued watching the attenders dance.

"This dancing looks fun!" Cream said. "Wanna go, Tails?"

Tails chuckled nervously. "Well, I can't really dance, Cream."

"Don't worry, I'll help you, Tails." Cream grabbed his hands. "Just follow my lead." Tails tittered nervously. "O-o-okay." He gulped and slowly danced with Cream.

Sonic was over by the snack table, looking distastefully at the exquisite eatables. He was wearing a red mask.

"Yuck! This is supposed to be caviar?" He blatted. "Looks like someone pick this out their teeth!" He stared at the black stuff on a cracker in his hand.

"Sonic!" A female voice called out to him.

Sonic turned around. "Huh? Gaah!"

Amy arrived at the dance floor, wearing a pink beautiful gown, white gloves, a tiara, and a golden mask. She looked absolutely beautiful!

"Wow!" Sonic exclaimed.

Amy got closer to Sonic. "So what's shaking?" She asked. "Do you like my new dress? Please tell me you love it! I spent all day shopping for a perfect gown for you!"

Sonic stared at her in awe. "W-w-well, of c-c-course, Amy!" He stammered. "Y-y-you look g-g-great!"

"Really? Thank you, Sonic! That's really sweet!" Amy extolled, hugging him tightly.

"Oh brother!" Sonic mumbled.

"Are you going to ask me to dance, Sonic?" Amy evoked.

"Excuse me?" Sonic said in surprise.

"Well, the other people are dancing," Amy said. "I don't see why we shouldn't we dance."

"Well, I don't know..." Sonic replied hesitantly.

"Please?" Amy begged with pleading green eyes.

"Well...all right!" Sonic gave in. "Just one so-ooong!" Amy excitedly grabbed him and started waltzing with him.

"Whoa! Take it easy, Amy!" Sonic said. "It's not the world's gonna end."

"I know, but I want to enjoy every minute of it," Amy said.

"Yeah, you know what they say, 'you only live once'," Sonic agreed. "You have to enjoy every single thing happening in your life." He smiled. Amy smiled by in affection. They smoothly slow danced.

More and more new people kept pouring in. Guests checked in with the guard (who was also wearing a mask) with the book of an invitation list. He let them in.

The paired people greeted Robert as they entered the dance floor. "Hey, Robert!"

"Good to see you, Robert!"

"Hello, Robert!"

"Thanks for inviting us!"

"Yes, of course. How are you are? Great seeing you too! And you're welcome!" Robert replied and greeted.

"Wow! It seems that lots of people know you, Robert," Nelson said, wearing a purple mask. "You sure are popular!"

"Well, I am the richest man in the whole city," Robert said. "They look at me as Duke of Solaropolis."

"Right!" His brother said. "You are pretty successful, bro!"

"Darn right, brother!" Robert replied.

"Not as successful as me!" Nelson said in a challenging tone.

Robert faced him eye to eye. "Oh yah?"

"Yeah!" The Thorndyke brothers locked eyes in a competitive way.

"Yah?"

"Yeah!"

"Yah?!"

"Yeah!"

"Yah?!"

"Yeah!"

Chuck, dancing with Ella observed his bickering sons. "My two boys, Robert and Nelson...they haven't change a bit." He said.

The male dance partners lifted their mates in the air, Ella lifted Chuck on the air.

Two strange people in peculiar costumes and beehive wigs arrived at the palace ballroom, checking in with the guard. They looked nervous when the guard check their names on the guest book.

"Names?" The guard asked.

"Um, De'collum, and, uh...Bocoella," Decoe in the gentleman's suit stuttered.

"Hmm..." The guard dubiously searched up their names in the guest book. He found their names, freshly written in black marker. The robots waited nervously as Bocoe disguised as a woman hid his marker in the ruffles. He's the one who wrote those fake names on the guest book.

"Go right in," the guard approved. Decoe and Bocoe relieved entered.

"We in, Doctor," Decoe reported through his wrist communicator.

"Excellent," Eggman replied, working on his creation. Bokkun was drinking chocolate syrup. "As soon as the main attraction hit, search the whole palace for the Time Machine Project plans."

"Yes sir!" Decoe accepted.

"We won't let you down!" Bocoe added.

"Yeah, right!" Eggman retorted faithlessly.

Topaz and Rouge were next in line, the guard let them in. They look around in amusement. "Sure are a lot of people tonight, eh, Rogue?" She commented. She was wearing a black gown, tiara, white gloves, and a golden mask.

"Uh huh, sure, whatever," Rogue replied, holding the fan to her face. She's only interested in the treasure.

"We should go mingle or something until the unveiling," Topaz suggested.

"Hello there, Topaz," a voice appeared before her. "What a small world this is."

Topaz turned around. The butler Tanaka is presented. He is wearing a purple mask.

"Tanaka," Topaz acquainted. "What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was just in the neighborhood," Tanaka answered. He held a rose in his hand. "And I just thought...May I have this dance, Miss Topaz?" He offered his hand.

Topaz blushed. "Why, of course, Tanaka. Why shouldn't I?" She accepted and took Tanaka's hand. And together they tango while Tanaka carried the rose in his mouth.

Elsewhere where the other couple were waltzing, Knuckles just stood there on the dance floor, looking impatient, arms folded. He was wearing a bow tie, black jacket, and a purple mask. "Tsk! This is a waste of time!" He scoffed. "Why couldn't they could just show us the treasure already? I've got stuff to do!" Suddenly, a feminine voice occurred. "Boy, Knuckles! You really do need to loosen up!"

"You're here too, Rouge?" Knuckles turned around. "Why you are here?" Suddenly, he gasped.

Rouge was wearing a beautiful red slender strapless gown with a large red bow covering her bat wings. She wore red gloves, a choker, a golden mask, and a rose on her large bat ear. She was a total knock out! She also had a fan to her face.

"WOW!" Knuckles gasped in awe. He was totally swept off his feet by her beauty. The stunning bat walked toward blushing echidna. "Hi there, handsome. My, we live in a small world." She greeted and removed her fan. Knuckles didn't respond, he was too stunned by her beauty.

"Is there something wrong?" Rouge asked.

"N-n-no! Eh..Y-y-you l-l-look g-g-great t-t-tonight!" Knuckles stammered.

"I do? Thanks, Knuckie Poo! You're so sweet!" Rouge said, twirling his dreadlocks. She looked around. "You know, there are some people dancing around us...and we're the only ones standing still." Her eyes sparkled in flirtation.

"Yeah..."

"What do you say we dance through the night?" She suggested.

Knuckles got cold feet. "Eh..." He gulped loudly. "...I-I-I d-don't k-k-know..." He stammered nervously.

"Hmm?"

"I-I-I...h-had never d-d-danced before in my e-entire l-l-life! I don't even..."

Rouge placed her finger on his lips to silence him. "Just shut up and follow my lead." She said. She took his hands and started to tango with him.

"Whoa!" Knuckles exclaimed. The couple danced through the room like any professional dance duos. When they finished their number, Knuckles held on to Rouge close. They gazed at each others' eyes and panted.

"My!" Rouge said admiringly. "I never realized you're such a good dancer! Are you sure you never did that in your life? You're a natural!"

"Thanks. As a guardian, I must have pure instinct and be ready for anything that lies in the upcoming," Knuckles replied.

"You know, we can dance all night long if we wanted to," Rouge said. "What do you say to that, Hon?"

"Well, I'd say..." Knuckles reached for the large urn of roses behind him, grabbed on and placed it in his mouth. Rouge smiled in admiration.

"Bring it on, batgirl!" Knuckles grinned.

The adults, Robert, Karolyn, Nelson, and Lindsay were slow dancing around on the shining golden floor. In the middle of the large floor, there is the same sun symbol as the family's emblem necklaces and the old cathedral.

"I must say, Big Brother, you really outdone yourself!" Nelson said. He's wearing a gold mask. "Yeah, you really know how to throw a party."

"Naturally," Robert replied. "I wouldn't hesitate on bringing the house down."

"He can throw wild parties sometimes," Karolyn said.

"Well, I can throw best formal parties too," Nelson said, waltzing with his wife. "Only better!"

"Oh yeah?" Robert retorted, slow dancing with his wife. "Well, I'm the best dancer there is!"

"Oh boy," Karolyn muttered.

"HA! Your sideburns are too tight!" Nelson cracked. "I'm the best dancer!"

"Here we go again!" Lindsay said.

"Wanna bet?"

"Yeah!"

"It's on!"

"I'm the best!" The brothers set off the sibling rivalry again.

"Those two guys," Lindsay said, facing Karolyn while dancing. "They couldn't go on without setting off the race pistol."

"We should be thankful that our sons aren't like them," Karolyn agreed.

As the two young boys waltz with their girlfriends, Carter purposely slammed hard into Chris while dancing along the way. Chris glared angrily at him who just turned his head away remorselessly. He felt resentment toward his mean cousin.

Cream continued to partner dance with Tails who was still a little nervous and kept looking a their feet. "Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot," he whispered.

"Left foot, right foot, left foot, right," Cream repeated. "You're doing great, Tails! You'll do even better if you don't always look at your feet all the time."

"Okay, I'll try," Tails replied.

Decoe and Bocoe were blending in with the crowd, pretending to waltz like a normal couple.

"Ok, we wait for the signal and when the time is right, we make our move," Decoe said.

"Sounds good to me," Bocoe said. They fumbled in their uncomfortable clothing.

"Does this wig make my head look big?" Bocoe asked.

"This suit's giving me a wedgie!" Decoe complained. He ruffled the bottom of his suit as if itching. They stepped on each others toes. "Ouch! Hey, watch it!" "Ow! No, you watch it!" They kept stepping on each other's toes.

Up on the ballroom roof, Silver landed on the glass and viewed the formal event from up here. "Hmm, I wonder what they're doing in there?" He asked himself.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed. Everyone turned to the stage plateau and applauded. A beautiful blond sultry lady in a sexy pink strapless gown and a white boa approached the microphone. _"Baby, I know, what you have got to do,"_ she sang. _"But honey, I see we are not exactly seeing eye to eye. If you really want see what is more to me inside...then, Baby, I must tell you...I'm...more...than...meets...the...eye!"_ She clutched on her white feathery boa._ "I've...GOT THE POWER!"_ Suddenly, the classical sultry music became loud and jazzy music. Kind of like a Christina and Britney-like pop tune. The songstress threw her feathery white boa in the air and shook her backside in rhythm. The guard caught and smothered it in admiration.

"That's our cue!" Decoe announced suddenly. "Let's go!" He took off. Become stayed and ogled at the girl in admiration. "Ahh! What a doll!" He sighed dreamily. Decoe grabbed him, "come on!" He dragged him out of the ballroom.

_"I have got the morning star and the evening star!"_ The songstress continued to sing. _"I mixed them all together and look have I got! I got a twilight glow feeling for YOU!" _The people danced around the pop sensational music.

_"I've got the power! Oh Baby, I Got The Power! You better watch out! Oh, Yeah! Darling, I got power, to change all of everything!"_

Robert and Karolyn did the tango, looking good. Nelson and Lindsay also tangoed. It seemed the two couples are competing who were the best dancers. When they finished their numbers, the two brothers glared at each other face-to-face as a sign of rivalry when they were young boys.

_"I will rock you through with My Superpower Ability! Don't even try to escape it! You know you can't resist me! Bring it on! All the glory, will be restored to me!"_

Knuckles and Rouge Latin danced. She swung her fan as they jiggled in rhythm. Knuckles still had the rose in his mouth. He tossed it high in the air before he lifted Rouge off her feet and twirled her around. When the two stopped, Rouge caught the rose in her hand. The bat and the echidna smirked at each other.

_"Come on, everyone! Show me what you have! I've got all day long, I'll stay through the night!"_

Carter and Brianna danced next to the music. Tails and Cream waltzed on floor and then drifted off in the air. Then, they somersaulted and made their number finale with cute style. Chris and Vivian grooved to the music next.

_"Do you see my powers? I got the power! Yeah! You won't know what hit you! Baby I got the Power! All the power within!"_

Tanaka and Topaz tangoed to the lyrics. Sam and Vanilla danced also.

_"Ooo-ooo-ooh! Ooh! Uh-huh-huh, yeah! Come on, bring it on! Yeah!"_

Next, the two hedgehogs dance with each other in foxtrot style. Eventually, they started spinning around like a tornado. They held on to each others hands and grinned in joy. After they got close together again, Sonic flung Amy in the air. Amy laughed in excitement. Then she dropped back down, Sonic caught her. They look at each other and smiled in sensation.

_"That's it right! Doll! This is it, Baby! HA HA HA! Nothing can be bring me down! Not without a fight! I've got the power now! I will use it wisely. I will never ever ever ever ever ever EVER throw it away!"_

The tall couples formed a human tunnel for the smaller ones to pass under. Everybody at the ball was having a great time.

Meanwhile, Decoe and Bocoe were searching around the palace for the master's office.

"Oh man," Bocoe complained. "This place is huge! It'll take forever to find this office."

"Actually, I think I found it," Decoe said, eyeing on a locked door. He pried the keyhole open, using his finger that had been turned into a key. The robots entered it. The lamp was on. Like the doctor said, the office was filled with blueprints and plans for solar technology. "Oooohhhhh!" They exclaimed. "I think we hit the jackpot!" Bocoe said.

"Let's take everything we can find in here," Decoe said. "And make it fast before-"

"I find you intruders here?" The huge security named John finished that sentence as confronted them. The robots turn around, panic stricken. "De'collum and Bocoella, huh?"

"Uh-oh! Busted!" Bocoe piped.

"Grab something and get out of here!" Decoe shouted.

John chased after them. The robots fled. Decoe grabbed some blueprint plans before scooting out of the office. John chased them out of the palace. The robots crashed into the front lawn. They groaned in pain.

"And don't come back!" John shouted. He slammed the entrance doors shut.

Decoe struggled to get out his communicator watch. "We found them, Doctor," he reported groaningly. "The Time Machine Project plans and the old journal. Ouch!"

"Excellent!" Eggman stated. He was now testing his mysterious new invention. "Time to move to phase 2!" He turned on his machine.

When the song was over, everybody, including Sonic and gang applauded. The lights returned. As the audience kept applauding, Robert and his family got on the plateau. No doubt it was time for the unveiling of the family treasure.

"Looks like Thorndyke's finally going to reveal that family treasure," Rouge said, clapping.

"About time," Knuckles said, applauding.

The songstress moved from the microphone in order for Robert to speak into it. He rose his hands for silence. He then cleared his throat through the microphone. "My fellow citizens of Solaropolis," he spoke. "I thank you all for coming to my formal ball. This eventful affair is more than just the foundation for the hopeless and the needy. It's also a ceremony of the passing our family treasure to a new heir, standing right here before me." He turned around. "Would my son, please come up front to the audience?" Carter obeyed and walked toward his father. He adjusted his jacket and stood there beside his father. Silver watched carefully from the glass roof.

"My son here, Carter Elijah Thorndyke is the new heir of our most sacred treasure that has been in our family for generations, my wife's generation that is." Robert announced. "I'm just the supporter." Few people chuckled.

Karolyn presented a box to the crowd. She opened it and revealed an incredibly sparkling gemstone, about the same size of a Chaos Emerald. It is multi colorful. It's like it's the oldest brother of the Chaos Emeralds! The audience were awed. Rouge's eyes sparkled in excitement. Knuckles gasped. Sonic and the gang gazed at it with awe.

"Wow!" Chris exclaimed.

"This is the Gem of Wonder," Robert declared. "Legend has it that it can grant wishes beyond your wildest dreams. Might even contain healing magic! Kind of like your Chaos Emeralds." The audience was impressed, even Knuckles and Rouge.

Karolyn removed the colorful gemstone from the box. "And now, I'm passing this symbol of wealth and fortune to our beloved and only son," she announced, holding the Gem of Wonder in her hand. "Carter Elijah Thorndyke!" She presented it to her son.

"Thank you, Mother . It is a great honor." Carter replied. He was about to take the Gem of Wonder of his mother's hands. The audience applauded some more.

"All right, Carter!" Chris cheered.

"Go for it, sonny!" Nelson rejoiced.

"Congratulations!" Lindsay praised.

"We've got to take that gem," Rouge said to Topaz.

Silver gasped at it in wonder. "This must be it! The key to the Iblis Trigger!" He said.

Before Carter could touch the Gem of Wonder, something crashed into the ballroom glass wall! Glass flung everywhere! Everyone screamed in fright. Robert shielded his family from danger. Carter and Karolyn screamed. Silver gasped in shock as he witnessed a terrorist attack. Nelson also shielded his family from the attack.

"What's happening?" Chris shouted in fear.

Suddenly, out of the giant gap, a giant white hovering robot intruded the ballroom. Everyone looked up in wonder. The guests didn't waste time to evacuate the ballroom in panic. Eggman emerged from the head. "My, what a glorious pizazzy event you're holding, Master Thorndyke!" He cackled. "I must admit I'm quite hurt when I wasn't invited!"

"Eggman!" Sonic proclaimed.

"Not him again!" Knuckles exasperated.

"Who invited him to the party?" Amy said.

"Who are you and how dare you forced yourself here uninvited in time of hour like this?!" Robert angrily addressed Eggman.

"My name is Doctor Eggman," the menacing doctor bowed. "I just want to drop in for a spot of party cake and punch!"

Karolyn clang on to her startled son who held his treasure in his hand.

"What do you want, Eggman?" Robert glowered.

"Not much, just the Gem of Wonder your son's holding behind you."

Robert checked on his family and glanced back at Eggman.

"I need to borrow for my little project," Eggman answered. "If you would be so kind to hand it over to me and I'll be on my way."

Carter clenched his treasure and shook his head in defiance. "No it's mine! You can't have it! Don't you know _I'm_ the heir of this gem?"

Robert stood in front of his family. "You better leave now before I call the authorities!" He warned.

"Oh no! Not the authorities! What am I going to do?!" Eggman mocked. He pressed a button and opened up a machine gun at the hand and aimed it at the family! They gasped.

"Oh no!" Sonic cried.

"Look out!" Chris shouted.

Sonic sped dash and grabbed Robert while Rouge's wings broke loose from the satin bow and flew on the plateau and grabbed Karolyn and Carter. The heroes evacuated them from danger. They put them down safely. Carter was terrified.

"What your problem, Eggman?" Tails shouted. "Why do you intend on hurting people?!"

"Yeah! I bet these people haven't down anything to you!" Amy said, holding out her hammer.

"Eggman doesn't care who he harmed to get what he whats!" Knuckles verified.

"Got that right!" Eggman said. His robot aimed at the heroes. "Now who can dance?" The machine gun fired out bullets, causing them to jitter up and down as they tried to avoid the bullets.

"This isn't the kind of dance I had in mind!" Amy shouted.

"Cheese!" Cream called out. Her Chao friend hopped onto her ears! Cream launched up and flung Cheese from her ears like a catapult. He bulleted down to the machine gun and thrashed into it, causing the robot to nearly tip over. Its machine gun rose up vertically and fired out its last bullets in the ceiling, nearly hitting Silver who hastily dodged. "What the!" He gasped.

"Get him!" Sonic shouted. He and his friends charged against the robot and took on it like ants on a cookie!

"Get off, you fools!" Eggman yelled, trying to shake them off.

The other people watched the brave heroes battling Eggman.

"Don't just stand there, guys!" Sonic shouted, looking behind him. "Get out here now while you can!"

"Right," Chuck answered. "Everyone to the-" His blue-haired grandson ran past him, pushing him aside. "Huh? Carter! Where are you going?"

Frightened, Carter ran from the fight scene. "Forget this! I'm out of here!" He shouted as he escaped the ballroom with his Gem of Wonder.

"Carter!" Karolyn cried after him.

"Carter, come back!" Robert shouted.

"Well, he left in hurry!" Topaz commented.

"What a sissy boy!" Knuckles stated.

"There goes my treasure," Rouge said.

"The poor dear is so frightened!" Ella said.

"Deep down inside, he's just a scared little boy!" Karolyn said.

"I'll go get him!" Chris volunteered. He ran after him. "Carter, wait!"

Eggman was getting fed up. "Enough! GET OFF ME!" His robots spun fast, knocking the heroes off. They landed on their feet.

"Egg-Robots, attack!" Eggman commanded. Out from the windows, dozens of fighting robots poured into the ballroom. Everyone gasped. The robots surrounded the people.

"Well, looks like you brought friends after all," Sonic smirked.

Amy brought out her hammer. "I'm not afraid of them!"

"Me neither!" Tails stated, putting up fists.

"You guys take care of the robots," Sonic said, stepping up to Eggman. "Egghead and I have a score to settle!"

"Fine by me, blue rat!" Eggman defied. He and the blue hedgehog faced off.

"Stop!" Robert yelled. "If you guys are going to fight, do it outside! You break down my home!"

"He's right!" Sonic agreed. "Come on, Eggman! Come get me!" He sped off outside the gap.

"Get back, blue rat!" Eggman bellowed, chasing after him.

Sonic's friends began fighting the robots.

"We've got to protect these people and this place!" Tails announced

"Bring it on, metal heads!" Knuckles shouted. He uppercut a robot.

"Back off!" Amy shouted, hammering the robots off.

"Come on!" Rouge called. She did a tornado kick against the mechanical menaces with her red sharp high heels.

"Let's get out of here now!" Chuck commanded, instructing them out of the ballroom. His family fled except for Tanaka who intended on fighting the robots. He performed a kung fu intimidation against them.

"You have shame the Thorndyke's name," he said. "Now you shall pay the price!" He threw punches and kicks until Topaz grabbed him and dragged him along.

"Come on, Bruce Lee! Let's go!" She said.

Silver watched the fight from the roof. "Should I go down and help them?" He asked himself. He shook his head. "No. I have remain low. Can't risk anything just yet!" He then witnessed Sonic and Eggman combating head-on.

Carter ran down the hallway. Chris chased after him. "Carter, slow down!" He shouted.

"Get away from me!" Carter shouted back. "I don't want to be part of this!" He then fled into the garden. Chris ran after him. "Carter, it's okay!" Carter ran into the hedged maze. Chris entered there next. "Carter!" He shouted. He looked around, searching for his frightened cousin. He then scoured through the maze. "Carter, where are you?" He panted. The two boys scattered through the maze, trying to search and escape.

"CARTER!" Chris kept calling. "Carter!"

Carter scampered through the puzzling maze and hid behind the bush walls. He breathed hard and whimpered in fear. Silver arrived at the garden, keeping in stealth as he observed the boys.

Sonic and Eggman continued to battle each other. As Eggman tried to smash him, Sonic taunted and eluded.

"Nyah, nyah, nyah!" Sonic jeered, smacking his rear. "You can't hit me! You can't hit me!"

"You rat! I'll defeat if it's the last thing I do!" Eggman snarled.

"Ha! Yeah right!" Sonic retorted. "I heard that one a million times'! You should just quit! You know you can't win! I always stop you!"

Eggman growled.

"Besides, what you've always been doing is wrong!"

"And what you've always been doing is annoying! Besides, I got a plan that will eliminate you and you stinky friends once and for all!"

"What plan, Eggman?" Sonic asked curiously.

Then they heard Chris called Carter's name in a distance.

"This plan..." Eggman leered. He took off to the maze.

"Oh no! Chris!" Sonic exclaimed. He sped off after him.

Scared, Carter wandered around in the maze aimlessly. When he heard a noise, he swiftly swung his head around in startlement. "Someone there?" He doesn't realised that a large shadow figure was stalking behind him with mechanical claws.

Chris continued to search for his cousin. "Carter? Carter!" Behind him, a squirrel emerged from the bushes, making a ruffling sound. Chris turned around. "Carter is that you?" Then a scream filled the entire garden. Chris turned around, ran out of the maze, and entered the centerpiece of the large garden. "Carter?" He spouted. There, his cousin had been captured by a hovering legless robot controlled by the evil Doctor Eggman!

"Gotcha!" Eggman said.

Carter yelled as he squirmed in the mechanical hands. "Aaaahhhhh! Chris! Help me!"

"Ahh! Carter!" Chris gasped as he ran to his cousin's aide and launched on to the mechanical arm.

"You're mine!" Eggman stated as he took off from the garden.

Sonic spotted Eggman leaving with Carter. "Eggman!" He called out.

"I'm afraid our little game ends here," Eggman addressed him. "I got what I came for. So I'll be leaving now...with my new toy and client!" He laughed evilly.

"Please help me!" Carter cried as he struggled.

"Stop!" Sonic shouted. He ran and jumped highly on the robot. The two friends struggled to stop their enemy and free Carter.

Silver, hiding nearby, watched them go by. _Wow!_ He thought. _They're __either brave or stupid. _He moved on.

Back at the ballroom, the friends finished fighting the robots. The floor was now covered in scrape metal.

"Phew! That's the last of them!" Amy stated, wiping her forehead.

"Heh! Child's play!" Knuckles boasted, kicking the robot's head.

"That was tough!" Cream said.

"But we did it!" Tails said.

Rouge walked around the metal pieces. "This was supposed to be my day off!" She said. "Instead, I got involved in a steely situation."

"Let's go find Sonic, Chris, and Carter," Amy said.

"Hey look!" Knuckles pointed outside.

The heroes peered outside the gap. They saw Eggman's hovering robot departing the Thorndyke Estate, with Carter captured in its mechanical hands and Sonic and Chris holding on tightly.

"That's Eggman!" Amy said.

"And he's got Carter!" Cream said.

"Sonic and Chris are trying to stop him from taking Carter away!" Knuckles said.

"We've got to help them!" Tails urged. He and the gang ran to their aid.

In the hallway, the adults also saw Eggman in his creation passing by.

"What's that?" Lindsay asked.

"Eggman!" Chuck answered.

"My baby!" Lindsay and Karolyn cried together. The adults ran through the hallway to go outside.

Outside, Eggman was already leaving the Thorndyke estate, going higher than ever. Carter struggled to get free. Trying not to look down, Chris clung on the arm, nearly at the hands. Silver hopped on to one tree to another, following them. Carter managed to wriggle one arm out of the large hands. Chris reached for his hand. "Here, take my hand!" He shouted. Carter whimpered as he snagged his hand.

Sonic finally got on the head of the robot. He snuck behind Eggman and pounced on his head. Eggman was caught by surprise. "Why you!"

"Let go of him now!" Sonic bayed. "He's just a kid for Pete's sake! Sure he's a snot nosed obnoxious brat but he's still an innocent little kid!" He pulled at the doctor's mustache.

"HEY!" Carter exclaimed in offense.

"Get off my head, you overgrown spiky rodent!" Eggman snarled, trying to shake him off. He tipped the robot over. The boys exclaimed in alarm as they inclined. Chris tried to hold on to Carter's hand. Eggman tried to pull Sonic off his face.

Silver gasped in shock as he witnessed this. _That fat man with a huge nose hair is no different from Iblis!_ He thought. _He's trying to kill them!_

Chris grunted as he clang on to dear life. "Come on!" He cried.

"Don't let go!" Carter shouted.

Chris refused to let go. "You let him go, you four-eyed creep!" He shouted.

"Four eyes?! How dared you?!" Eggman growled. He tilted the robot some more.

Everyone arrived outside the palace. They watched in fear as Eggman, high in the sky, was about to finally throw off Sonic and Chris. Lindsay gasped in horror. Karolyn clasped her hands in prayer.

"Sonic!" Amy cried.

"Chris!" Nelson shouted.

"They're going to fall!" Robert said.

"Do something!" Vanilla cried.

Sonic tugged on Eggman's mustache. "Stop! Carter has nothing to do with this, Eggman!" He grunted. "JUST LET HIM GO!"

Chris clung on to his cousin's hand with both hands. His hand began to slip. Eggman finally ripped Sonic off of his face. Sonic had bits of orange hair in his hands.

"You drew my last nerve, hedgehog!" He growled. Sonic eyed at him in solicitude. He tossed him away like litter! Chris's hand slipped from Carter's hand fell too.

Sonic and Chris plunged from the hovering robot! They both screamed.

"NOOOO!" Carter yelled as he is taken away.

Silver and the people of the palace watched in horror as they fall 50 feet to their doom.

"MY BABY!" Lindsay and Karolyn cried together in horror.

"CHRIS!" Nelson hollered.

"CARTER!" Robert bellowed.

"SONIC!" Amy screamed.

"See you next fall!" The Eggman called and waved. He laughed deviously as he escaped with his prisoner.

"Oh no!" Chuck shouted in terror.

"Somebody save them!" Cream cried.

"We're too far!" Knuckles proclaimed. "There's no way we'll make it!"

"We gotta do something!" Topaz insisted.

Sonic and Chris continued to scream as they fall!

"In case we don't make it, just wanna say it's been nice knowing you, Chris!" Sonic said, catching his friends hands.

"Nice knowing you too, Sonic!" Chris responded, bringing his friend close to him.

Suddenly, Silver hiding from a tree, used his telekinesis to freeze their fall, saving them from a gruesome drop! Sonic and Chris' bodies glowed in turquoise. They were now floating in the midair! "Huh?" They looked at himself in confusion.

Silver elevated Chris with his ESP power! He moved his glowing arm and directed him high in the air!

They people at the palace choked of breath in wonder and shock.

Not realizing that Silver saved their life, the boys exclaimed in bewilderment as they flew over the estate. "HEY! We're flying! We're really flying, Sonic!" Chris exalted.

"But how?" Sonic spoke up.

Chuck gasped in wonder. Ella fainted.

"What in the world?!" Lindsay choked out.

"What's going on?!" Nelson sputtered.

"Sonic and Chris are...flying?!" Tails spelled out.

Chuck rubbed his eyes in shock. "How is this possible?"

"Everything's possible nowadays!" Tanaka said.

"I see it but I don't believe it," Rouge piped up. Her eyes are wide with surprise.

"Seeing is believing," Topaz said. "Must be an optical illusion."

Even Knuckles tried his astonishment. "Big deal! He scoffed. His arms are folded and he's sweating. "Who do they think they are, the Wonder Boys?"

"I don't know what you doing up there, guys!" Nelson yelled. "But you hang on, we'll get you down!"

Lindsay pushed him aside. "Christopher Thorndyke!" She scoldingly shouted. "You get down here this _instant_ before you fall and break your neck!"

"Sonic! You come down too!" Amy insisted. "It's hard enough to run after you! I don't want to have to learn to fly!"

"Okay, I'll try..." Chris responded.

"As you wish..." Sonic replied.

Silver lowered them down to the car, ending their safety rides. As they landed safely, Sonic crashed into Knuckles while Chris landed in his father's arms.

"Wow!" They exclaimed.

"Are you okay, son?" Nelson asked.

"Yeah, I...I thinks so," Chris replied, rubbing his head.

"You alright, Sonic?" Tails asked. He and his friends came to his side.

"I'm fine, thank you," Sonic replied, rubbing his head.

"Do you mind, Sonic?" Knuckles groaned. Sonic was on top of him.

"Oh, sorry, Knuckles," Sonic said, getting off the red echidna.

Amy rushed to Sonic and hugged him real tight. "Oh Sonic! Thank goodness you're okay! I thought you were a goner!"

"Gah! Take it easy, Amy!" Sonic blurted out. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"Please don't do something like this again!" Amy wailed.

"You really had us worried, Sonic," Cream added.

"Sorry, guys," Sonic said.

"That was quite a nasty fall you boys took there," Rouge said.

"Just what were you thinking, Chris?" Nelson asked, putting his son down. "What you did was crazy!"

"You could have been killed!" Lindsay added.

"Sorry, Mom and Dad," Chris replied. "We were trying to save Carter."

"And the family treasure," Sonic added.

Karolyn sobbed in distress. Robert held her in comfort.

"Looks like Sonic had failed for the first time," Knuckles pronounced solemnly. Amy stomped on his foot. He exclaimed in pain.

"Shut up!" Amy snapped. "Sonic _did not_ fail! We just need to get back on our feet!" Knuckles rubbed his foot in pain.

"That's right!" Rouge agreed. "We're not going down without a fight! We've got to get our hands on that Gem of Wonder!"

"And save Carter!" Tails added. Everyone agreed.

Chris caught a glimpse of Silver in the tree from a distance. He gasped. Silver seemed to have eyed him back and then took off.

"What's the matter, Chris?" Chuck asked him.

"Silver..." Chris blurted out.

"Beg pardon?" Chuck inquired.

"Silver was the one who saved us!" Chris said positively. "He used his telekinesis to fly us back here! I just know it!"

"Maybe, sonny," Chuck placed his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Maybe..."

Up above, Silver floated in midair, eying on the troubled group. "Hmm..Tomorrow's the day Iblis will be unleashed." He said to himself. "First thing in the morning, I'll warn them about the upcoming disaster and my mission will be completed. Soon the future will be saved!" He clenched his fist in determination.


	12. Silver's Prediction

The next morning, the police were investigating the palace of the attack last night. The gap in the glassy wall of the ballroom broken by Eggman was still there. Yellow 'Police Do Not Cross' banners taped all over the palace. Karolyn sat at the plateau in sobbing in distress while Lindsay sat next to her tried to comfort her. "My baby! My little baby!" She cried tearfully.

"There, there,"'Lindsay soothed. "It'll be alright. We'll find him." She offered her a handkerchief. Karolyn took it and blew her nose.

The servants were cleaning up the mess of the robots and glass. Ella was in the big kitchen, preparing some comforting snacks and tea for the anxious guests. "This will do nicely. I hope this cheer everyone up." She said to the cooks.

Robert, Chuck, and Nelson were in Robert's private office with a detective, discovering that blueprints were stolen. John the huge security guard was also present there.

"I can't believe it!" Robert muttered. "How could this happen?!"

Nelson tried to comfort him, "there now!"

"It'll be alright," Chuck added.

Robert glared up accusingly at the large security guard. "You FOOL! How could you let them escape?!" He growled. "You call yourself a security guard?!"

"I-I-I swear!" The guard tittered shamefully. Although he was physically bigger than his boss, he felt afraid of him. He had really let him down. "I didn't know!" He stood back from the steamed man.

"Did you know that not only did you fail to stop those crooks but you let those hooligans kidnap my son!" Robert rebuked. "What do you have to say for yourself, huh?!"

"I'm sorry, Master Thorndyke!" John bowed in disgrace. "I deserve the pink slip!"

"More like the 'blue' slip'! And it isn't a joke this time!" Robert snapped. He intended on throttling the big security guard. Chuck and Nelson held him back.

Tanaka was in the big family den, dusting the furniture. Topaz was filing a report to headquarters while Rouge look at the ornaments in interest. "This looks nice," Rouge said, eying on the glass figures locked in the cabinet. "I wonder if they'll miss one of them!"

"Don't even think about!" Topaz ordered, not even looking up.

"Just looking," Rouge said, trying to play innocent. Vanilla was sitting on the couch, waiting for something to happen. Knuckles was patrolling around the halls, keeping watch. Upstairs, Amy walked around the halls, also awaiting the news, while Tails, Cream & Cheese, and Chris sat at Carter's game room, watching the news about a break-in to the Thorndyke Palace, the kidnapping of Carter Thorndyke and the theft of the Gem of Wonder. Scarlet Garcia was now asking where has Eggman gone to now. Sonic was sitting outside the balcony.

Amy came into the room. "Still no sign of either of them," Chris informed her, still eying on the television.

"The police are having difficulty finding them," Tails added.

"Where could they have gone to?" Cream asked. Cheese chirped.

"Poor kid," Amy said. "Even though he's an obnoxious snob, I hope they find him." She went outside and joined Sonic. "You okay, Sonic?" She asked him.

"I'm fine," Sonic replied. "I just can't believe that Eggman has given us the slip! How could I let this happened?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Sonic!" Amy advised. "You just had an off day. We'll find Eggman."

"I see you're having a bit of a crisis here," a male teenage voice occurred.

The hedgehogs looked around, "huh?"

Silver was sitting on the edge of the roof of the palace. "Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Hey, it's Silver!" Amy said excitedly.

"Who?" Sonic inquired.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help but listen in," Silver said.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked the silver hedgehog.

"My name is Silver the Hedgehog," the shining hedgehog replied.

"Silver the Hedgehog," Sonic answered taking his hand. "Very nice to meet you! I'm Sonic."

"Nice to meet you too, Sonic," Silver responded.

"Come on in, Silver," Amy invited. The hedgehogs went inside. "Hey, guys! Look who's here!"

Chris, Tails, and Cream & Cheese turned around and were ecstatic to Silver.

"Silver!" Chris exclaimed in excitement. He and the others got up from the couch.

"Mr. Silver's back!" Cream said happily. Cheese chirped joyfully.

"What are you doing here?" Tails asked.

"I was just in the neighborhood," Silver replied. "I heard there was a break-in last night. Who's was that egg-shaped guy with a hairy nose?" The gang looked at him confused.

"Don't you know who that is?" Sonic asked. "Eggman has been terrorizing our worlds for a long time."

"Never heard of him," Silver said. The gang looked at him like he's crazy.

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed. "You never heard Eggman?! Where are you from, under a rock?"

"Uh, no," Silver replied. "Actually, I've came to talk to you about something.

"Hmm?" The gang inquired in curiosity.

"I know where that Eggman guy's hideout is and what is he up too." Silver said. The gang look at him in interest.

"You do?" Chris asked.

"We're listening," Sonic said.

"Come on down, Silver and you can tell all of us," Chris said, taking the silver hedgehog's hand. They all head downstairs.

Sonic and the group were now sitting on comfy couches in a large living room den, with tea and snacks on the coffee table. Sonic introduced Silver to the rest of the family. "First, let's get you to know the rest of the family, Silver," Sonic said. "You already knew Ella, Vanilla and Chuck. These are Chris and Carter's parents." He introduced him to Robert, Nelson, Karolyn, and Lindsay.

"Hello," Silver greeted.

"Hello there, Silver," the parents greeted together.

"I can see why you're called 'Silver'," Robert said. "You must be the 'Silver Lining'! Get it?" He guffawed at his joke. "Whoo! I'm hilarious! HA HA HA!" Everyone was not amused.

"I don't get it," Knuckles whispered to Rouge who just shook her head.

"You'll get to know to know him," Nelson said.

"And this is Rouge, and her friend, Topaz," Sonic introduced them next.

"Hi, cutie pie," Rouge said.

"How do you do?" Topaz greeted.

"The Kung-Fu artist look-alike is called Tanaka," Sonic pointed to the Japanese butler.

"At your service, Master Silver," Tanaka bowed.

"Master?" Silver replied. Hercules purred and rubbed against his legs.

"That's Hercules," Sonic said. He then introduced to the red echidna siting on a couch, holding a tea cup. "And that red guy right here is Knuckles. He's usually pretty cool and descent, just make sure you don't get on his even redder side if you know what I mean."

"I heard that!" Knuckles piped up.

"Hello, Knuckles," Silver said.

"Hey, haven't I seen you from someplace?" Knuckles addressed him. "You look familiar."

"No!" Silver quickly responded. "I-I don't think you have!"

"Hmm..." Knuckles ogled at him with curiosity as he sipped his cup of tea.

Rouge gazed at Silver's golden time cuffs. "Hey, nice bracelets," she said. "Mind if I try them on?" She was to touch his time cuff when Silver precipitately switched his hand away. "DON'T TOUCH IT!" He shouted in agitation.

Everyone was startled by his outburst. Rouge gasped.

Silver rubbed his time cuff preciously. "Just...Don't ever touch my wrist cuffs! Please! They're valuable to me!" Valuable to his life that is. If his time cuffs were removed outside his timeline, he will disappear from existance!

"Okay, okay," Rouge said. "Relax, honey cakes! It's not like I was going to steal them or anything. Lighten up!"

Silver took a deep breath of relief.

"Don't worry about that, kid," Knuckles said to him. "I get that a lot." He sipped his cup of tea.

"So what do you want to talk about, Silver?" Sonic asked.

"Where is Dr. Eggman's hideout?" Amy asked.

"Where is he keeping Carter?" Chris asked next.

"Do you know when will he strike next?" Cream added.

"One at a time, dears," Vanilla said. "Give him some time to explain."

"That's okay, Vanilla," Silver said. "I have the answers to everything." He sipped the tea and munched on a cookie. "Eggman is currently located at the Solaropolis Scrape Metal Junkyard as his hideout."

"The Solaropolis Scrape Metal Junkyard?" Everyone asked.

"Yes," Silver answered. He plopped another cookie in his mouth. "I'm not sure what's he planning to do with your Carter, but he's probably taking him prisoner so you can give those sparkling colorful gems to him in exchange for his safety. But this will all be just a trick!" The people listened carefully.

"Eggman will capture you guys all and hold you as his prisoners as well so he will be unstoppable. He will finally win with all seven Chaos Emeralds at his grasp!" His eyes turned grave.

Everyone gasped.

"Even me?" Sonic asked. "The fastest thing alive?"

"Even you, Sonic," Silver responded solemnly. "Also, Chris who tried to save Carter from Eggman's base will get captured too by Doctor Eggman!"

Chris gasped. Lindsay cuddled up her son in fear of losing him "Oh no!" She cried. The adults and animals gasped. Hercules meowed.

"But there's more," Silver continued. Tails, Amy, and Cream looked at him like he's telling a scary ghost story. "When Eggman uses the seven Chaos Emerald to power up his battleship, the engines will overload and malfunction, and then the airship will crash down to Earth...with everybody inside it!" Everyone gasped again.

"Sonic and the others will not survive it. Eggman and the heroes will perish!" Everyone gasped in shock and horror.

"Oh NO!" Vanilla choked out. Cream and Cheese gasped in shock when they swallowed Silver's words. "But I don't want to die!" She whimpered. Cheese chirped in response as saying, "me neither!"

"I haven't even got a date with Sonic yet," Amy cried. "And now I'm going to be blown to smithereens before I even got a chance?! That is so unfair!"

"I'm too young to die!" Tails whined.

"I'm too gorgeous to blown away!" Rouge added. The adults were just as affrighted. Nelson, too clutched in son in fear. "Not my son!" He expressed. Knuckles was so shocked he almost broke his tea cup.

"That's not even the worst part," Silver continued.

"Oh no, not more terrible news!" Tails said.

"What could be worse than that?" Amy asked.

"A monster named Iblis will rise from the crashes and destroy the entire world!"

"Iblis will destroy the world?" Everyone gasped.

Silver nodded. "When the seven Chaos Emeralds get absorbed, he will be unstoppable and immortal. With the heroes gone, no one will be safe! Nothing and NOBODY can defeat it! The world as we know it will come to an end!" He finished with the seriousness on his face.

The people looked at him like he was a mad scientist like Eggman. They didn't want to believe him, but somehow they had to.

"Iblis..." Chuck thought hard. "Ah! I remember that name, Iblis!"

Everyone looked at him with curiosity. "Huh?"

"Iblis was the fiery spawn of the sun god, Solaris," Chuck illustrated. "I thought these two powerful beings were just myths."

Robert stood up. "Solaris is. But Iblis is real." He trodden around the living room. Everyone looked at him interested. "I know this because..." He paused at a painting of old Sunny Town.

"Because what, Rob?" Chuck asked.

"Because...that priest from Sunny Town, was a close friend of mine." Robert said it stiffly.

"He was?" The group asked.

"Yes," Robert replied. "About twelve years ago, Iblis terrorized the old Sunny Town after a major accident resulted from an experiment gone horribly wrong. That scientific experiment was called the Time Machine Project. The priest wanted to built it to correct all sins and errors throughout the timeline to make a world a better place."

"Time Machine Project?" Tails asked, dipping his cookie in his tea.

"You mean you can travel through time?" Amy inquired.

"Yes," Robert responded.

"That sounds impossible," Ella commented.

"I should say that trying to interfere with historical moments is very serious business and may alternate the future," Tanaka added.

"That's exactly what my friend wanted," Robert said. "To rewrite history. For the good of mankind. When he asked me to assist him design the time machine, I simply refused. I warned him, 'think about what you're doing, brother. You're putting others and yourself at risk. You're trying to achieve something that exists only in fairy tales! You already have your so-called Scepter of Light, why on Earth would you want a time machine for? You can't the past, and even if you could, it'll change the future! Think about the people of Sunny Town, think about your family, your unborn child!'" His family eyed at him in suspense.

"The priest closed ears of my warnings. He again pleaded, insisted, and begged for my aid, until eventually I gave in. He promised me that it will also bring good fortune and health for my unborn child. I told him one last time, 'fine! I'll give you the designs for your stupid project, but I'm keep telling you THIS is a stupid idea!' He gained the time machine prototype from me. I told him, 'he's on his own.' I didn't want any part of this. I didn't want to put my family in danger. So the priest got started on his project, using the solar flare he obtained from the astronauts and the forbidden machinery by law. During the process, he thought he had everything under control, he thought he was going to prove us wrong that this will be the greatest invention that could change the world. But he was wrong..."

"It didn't go very well, did it, Master Thorndyke?" Sonic added.

Robert shook his head. "That test subject had a mind of its own," he continued. "The solar flare inside the scepter grew and mutated from the overloading energy particles from the machine and destroyed the secret lab in the mountain, therefore, the spawn of Iblis is born!"

Everyone gasped.

"It nearly wiped out everything and everyone! The people faced its full fury of the son of Solaris. It looked like it was the end of the world."

"But didn't they called the military forces for help or at least called the fire department since it's after all made of fire?" Knuckles asked.

"The people didn't want the outside world to know they did something they weren't supposed to do," Robert replied. "Besides, the monster was far too powerful even for the world's mightiest weapon to take down. Anywhere it touched, left only ashes and bones in its path." Everyone gulped.

"And then what happened?" Lindsay asked.

"The priest realized that the monster unleashed was his mistake and decided to sacrificed himself to save his people and his wife and newborn child. He borrowed the Gem of Wonder and used it to seal the monster inside himself and then...then..." His voice broke.

"What? What?" Chuck asked.

"What happened to priest, Robert?" Nelson asked.

Robert hung his head in sadness. "The priest within the Iblis seal...disappeared. As a result, the people was Sunny Town and the rest of the world was saved. That priest was never seen again."

"What happened?" Cream asked. "Why did the priest disappeared after he sealed Iblis inside?"

"Nobody really knows. They believed he had gone back to the sun with Iblis as an offer of repentance to Solaris as forgiveness for misusing the sun's powers. The wife and child was so bereaved from the loss of their husband and father, they moved far far away from there, never to be heard since. The people of Sunny Town also moved away from the ghost village, considering it to be the memorial ground of their beloved leader, sacrificing himself to save Sunny Town and the world from the worst." Robert turned away in grief of the loss of his close friend. His brother and father comforted him. "You see, that's why kept everything locked in my office, I couldn't bear to see that horrible memory of that day. I felt responsible for what happened! I've should have just said no! Now I wish I could build that time machine and make that never happening!"

"Don't blame yourself, Robbie!" Nelson said. "There was nothing you could have done."

"You did the best you could, son," Chuck said, patting on his eldest son's back.

"That's so sad," Chris said.

"That poor mother and baby," Vanilla added. "It must have been so hard raising her baby by herself and growing up without a father."

"I know what they're feeling right now," Cream said. Her father must have disappeared too after she was born. The bunnies huddled together in comfort.

"You know, I'm so moved by Robert's story, I'm thinking about returning the Scepter of Light back to its rightful place of Sunny Town," Rouge said.

"You are?" Topaz asked her.

"I said I was thinking about it," Rouge responded. Everyone was a little emotional moved by the story.

"And now Eggman is trying to create his very own time machine and repeat the disaster twelve years ago," Silver said.

"I know Eggman wants redo time with the machine," Tails said. "But I wonder what does he want with Carter?"

"Our son was also born on the same day Iblis attacked Sunny Town," Karolyn said.

"What's that got to do with that?" Sonic asked.

"I'm not really sure," Karolyn said. "I was just sharing it with you." The people tipped over on sheepishness.

"Aunt Karolyn, this is no time for that!" Chris said.

"We need to find Eggman and put an end to his heinous plot before he start attacking innocent people!" Sonic adjured.

Suddenly, Bokkun intruded through the living room window, laughing mischievously as usual. "Hey, there everybody! Nice morning isn't it?" He piped up.

"Speak of the devil," Sonic said.

"Who's that?" Silver asked.

"Trouble," the gang answered.

"What do you want, Bokkun?" Karolyn demanded. "Haven't you caused enough trouble already?"

Bokkun removed a television box from his bag. "Just to send an important message." He turned it on. "Here you go!"

Eggman appeared on screen. "Good day, folks. That was some party last night, eh? Just want to say thanks for it, I had a real ball! HA HA HA! But that's not what this message is about. Sonic the Hedgehog and friends, if you want me to return Thorndyke's kid..." He held Carter in his arm.

"Get off me!" Carter contended.

The gang gasped.

"He's got Carter!" Chris said.

"No duh!" Sonic agreed.

"My baby!" Karolyn exclaimed.

"You must give me all seven Chaos Emerald to me at the Solaropolis Junkyard. Be there at precisely four a'clock, otherwise, pretty rich boy here will suffer the consequences!" He scrunched Carter's cheeks.

"Take your hands off me, Eggbreath!" The boy uttered. "You better save me Sonic!"

"Carter!" Sonic exclaimed.

"The Solaropolis Junkyard?" Tails repeated. "Of course!"

"Told you," Silver said.

Robert angrily rose his fist. "If that maniac hurts my son," he growled. "I swear I'll-"

"Here's a little something for your trouble!" Eggman sneered. The message TV was about to explode!

Bokkun turned away, covering his ears and awaiting for the big bang! Everyone cowered in fear and tried to shield themselves. But Silver sensed the danger and quickly took action! Everyone lowered their guards to see what happened. Bokkun turned around and saw that Silver used his telekinesis to freeze the ticking bomb before it exploded! "What?!" He squawked. Everyone gasped too in amazement.

"Here! You take it!" Silver said, flinging back the message bomb back to the purple imp! He then let go of his Psychic Shock and the bomb went off on Bokkun! He got covered in black soot! Everyone gaped in amazement.

Bokkun coughed up a black smog. "Why you! You're gonna get it!" He shouted. Then he started to shed tears and ran away like a big fat crybaby. "WAAAAAHHHH! Mommy!"

"I'm starting to feel sorry for him," Cream said.

"Good riddance!" Amy said.

Sonic laughed and slapped Silver on the back. "HA HA HA! Nice one, Silver! That was great!" The other friends gathered around Silver too, admiring his trick.

"Yeah! That was awesome!" Knuckles said.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Rouge said.

"Totally amazing!" Tails added.

"'Bout time somebody turned the table on him!" Chris added.

"Well, somebody had to do something!" Silver said.

Knuckles stared at him for a moment. "Hang on a second, I remember you!" He stated.

"Huh?" Silver looked up.

"I saw you transported from some kind of portal in the sky," Knuckles said. "You must have used Chaos Control or something, didn't you?"

"Chaos Control? What's that?" Silver asked.

"Don't tell me you never heard of Chaos Control either," Sonic said. "Seriously, where did you get off?"

"Come to think of it, if you never heard of Eggman, how did you know where he is or when will he strike or whatever?" Rouge asked Silver.

"Yeah, where are you getting this information?" Knuckles asked. "Who are you and where did you come from?"

"I love to tell you but I can't," Silver responded.

"And why in the world not? Huh?" Knuckles demanded. "How do we know if we could even trust you, Mr. Secretive? I bet there not even an Iblis! You're probably just some kid who just wants attention and cries 'wolf'!"

"No, I'm not!" Silver retorted.

"Then tell us, smart guy!" Knuckles demanded.

Silver started to back down when Chris came right in front of him to defend him. "Leave him alone!" He said. "If he doesn't want to share his info, then let's not force him. We should respect that!" He turned around and gave him a wink. Silver felt warmth from within. For some reason, that reminded him of his human friend, Israel.

Sonic got ready to head out on another mission. "Well then, now that Silver had told us about the details of where Eggman is, let's head over there to the Solaropolis Junkyard and take down this overgrown nesting doll and save Carter!"

"Now wait a second, Sonic," Tails put in. "Didn't you remember what Silver said? He's says we gotta be more careful. Eggman's getting more cocky."

"I know, I know!" Sonic responded. "Don't worry, I take on Eggman all the time, and I had some pretty tough times with him. We can do this! It'll be just like pulling petals from a flower!"

"You seemed very confident, Sonic," Silver said. "You're really determined to take on the evil doctor."

"That's what we do," Sonic responded, stretching. "We fight to defend our world from tyranny, big and little!"

"Count me in," Tails announced. "While you look for Carter, Amy, Cream, and I will look for the Chaos Emeralds!" He turned to the girls. "Right, girls?"

"Absolutely," Amy said.

"Only one problem." Cream said.

"What's that?" Tails asked.

"The X Tornado's back home at the Thorndyke Mansion!" Cream said.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Tails said, stumped.

"You can borrow one of the solar airplanes," Robert offered. "It should have a radar."

"Thanks, Master Thorndyke," Tails gratified. "I appreciated it."

"I'll help you on the quest, Sonic," Knuckles said. "But I still don't trust that silver hedgehog!" Silver just shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," Rouge said. "Either way, we have to take that Gem of Wonder back..." Topaz cleared her throat. "And stop Eggman from taking over the world and save Thorndyke's kid!" Everyone nodded.

"I'll come with you guys," Chris added.

"Absolutely not!" Lindsay said firmly. "I don't want you to put yourself in danger too!"

"But Mom," Chris protested.

"I'm afraid you're mother's right, son," Nelson added. "We appreciate the help but I think it's best if you stay in the palace. Okay, son?"

"Yes, Mom and Dad," Chris responded, a little disappointed. Chuck patted him on the head.

"All right then, it's settled!" Sonic rallied up his troops. "Those who are ready to take on Eggbrain say 'aye'!"

"AYE!" Cheered everyone.

Amy hugged Sonic tightly. "Uggh! Not yet, Amy!" Sonic said uncomfortably. "We haven't even began yet!"

"I know! I just want to wish us both luck, with all my heart!" Amy said. Sonic groaned.

Silver watched them streamed with confidence. _Wow!_ He thought. _These guys just might save the world...and my future!_


	13. The Doctor's Conspiracy

Meanwhile at the Solaropolis Junkyard, Eggman and his despicable henchmen sat around at the table, playing poker. Bocoe placed the cards on the surface in triumph. "HA! Full house! I win!" He gloated. He swept up the chips.

"No way!" Decoe denied.

"You cheater!" Eggman snarled.

"Sore loser! You're just jealous because I've got all the poker luck in the world!" Bocoe boasted.

Eggman grabbed him by the throat. "You gonna need all the luck in the world when I'm through with you!" He began throttling him.

"Sorry! I'll let you win, Doctor!" Bocoe whimpered. "I promise!"

"Let him go, sir!" Decoe contended.

"I'll let him go, all right..." Eggman flared. "Right into the scrap heap!"

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed filled the hideout. Carter furiously banged on the cell door. "LET ME OUTTA HERE! LET ME OUT OR I'LL SUE YOU!" He bellowed. His shouts echoed through the hallways of Eggman's secret lair.

Eggman groaned in annoyance. "Not again!" The robots covered their "ears" in ache.

Carter kept banging, kicking, and screaming. "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I AM THE SON OF THE TRILLIONAIRES! GIVE ME BACK MY GEM OF WONDER AND LET ME OUT!"

"Grrr! Of all the quiet hostages, I had to kidnap this one!" Eggman growled in annoyance.

"Why didn't we captured a quiet one?" Decoe complained.

"Am I the only one who finds this infernal noise irritating?" Bocoe moaned. He covered his "ears". "My ear circuits are going to pop!"

"We haven't got a moment's peace since we got him," Decoe complained.

Eggman got up and stomped through the hallway. "I'll shut him up!"

When they're alone, Decoe eyed at his partner.

"What?" Bocoe asked nervously. Suddenly, Decoe grabbed him by the legs. "Hey, what are you doing?!" Bocoe twittered. "Put me down!" Then Decoe shook him violently. All the cards fell from the gray robot. "Aha! You were cheating!" Decoe accused.

"Um...no I'm not! Honest! I don't know how they got here!" Becoe denied.

"Why you!" Decoe glared.

Eggman stomped through the dark hallway and entered Carter's prison cell. Carter was still having a tantrum until Eggman silenced him. "Shut up, you little brat!" He snapped. "You think I'm thrilled to keep you here, having you disrupt my work with your awful racket? I think not! I need you here until Sonic and his flea-bitten friends arrived with the Chaos Emerald. So unfortunately, you're stuck with me!"

Carter glared at him coolly.

"That's better," Eggman sneered.

"Tell me something, Doctor Eggman," Carter spoke up. "If you already have the Gem of Wonder, why do you need the Chaos Emeralds for? Just what are you trying to do?"

Eggman's face got closer to his. His nose practically touched his. "Did your parents ever disclose you anything about the Gem of Wonder?" He asked, touching the boy's family sun necklace. He showed the colorful glowing gem to him. "About what it could do?"

"They told me that it could grant wishes if you wish hard enough," Carter answered. "But's that's just a metaphor. It's the symbol of fortune."

"Yes." Eggman turned his back. "It is also said that it was used to vanquish the evil fiery devil Iblis away from old Sunny Town twelve years ago. Did you know that?"

"My parents said it was all a legend," Carter said.

"That's what they want you to believe," Eggman retorted, clutching on the Gem of Wonder. "That Gem of Wonder is my ticket to world domination. It will gained me riches! Once I reawaken the fiery demon Iblis, I will use to its powers to erase the world and create my most magnificent empire! I will also use its solar flare powers to control time and reality! This time for real, no one will be able stop me!"

"You wanna control time and reality?" Carter asked in surprise. "Why would you wanna do that?"

"Grrr...you ask too many questions, boy!" Eggman said. "You just sit back and relax while I-" Suddenly, Bokkun barged in the jail cell room. "Doctor, Doctor!" He squeaked.

"What is it, Bokkun?" Eggman barked. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

"But there's something I got to tell you!" Bokkun came closer to the big man's ear and whispered something.

"What?" Eggman shouted in shock.

Suddenly, Decoe and Bocoe ran into the jail room too. "Doctor Eggman! We have a situation!"

"What is it now?!" Eggman snapped.

Suddenly, a loud speaking voice declare outside the lair. "This is the authorities! Doctor Eggman! You are under arrest!"

"Eh?" Eggman quickly turned on the video camera and saw that a SWAT team has surrounded the junkyard!

"We have you surrounded! There's no escape now! Come out with your hands up!" The commander insisted through the microphone. Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, and Topaz were there too. The villains could not believe it. Carter was excited that he was going to be rescued.

"Impossible?! Those idiots were supposed to bring the Chaos Emeralds and fall into my trap!" Eggman sputtered. "This wasn't supposed to happened!" He glared at Bokkun. "Don't look at me!" He squeaked. "I tell them about our plans! Honest!"

"Now what?!" Decoe panicked.

"We're surrounded!" Bocoe said in fear.

"QUIET!" Eggman ordered. "We're not giving up that easily!" He grabbed Carter from his prison cell. "Hey, put me down!" He protested.

"Put on your seat belts, boys!" Eggman ordered. "Time to go to plan B!"

"What's plan B-whoa!" Decoe didn't get a chance to finish because the ship startled to quake! Everyone except Eggman exclaimed in alarm.

"What's happenning?" Bocoe blurted out.

"We're moving!" Eggman answered. Carter gasped.

Outside the junkyard, the ground began to quake too. Everyone gasped in alarm.

"What's going on?" Topaz said.

"Earthquake?" Knuckles asked. Suddenly, a large rocket sprouted out from the junk pile and launched away, escaping the surrounding authorities. The heroes looked up and gasped.

"What?" Knuckles exclaimed.

"Eggman's getting away!" Rouge said.

"He's moving Carter to a different location!" Sonic said.

"That Silver kid tricked us!" Knuckles proclaimed. "He didn't tell us that Eggman was moving to a different location! That hedgehog set us up!"

"No, Knuckles," Sonic said. "Bokkun must have warned Eggman. We need to move fast!" He and the others went into pursuit. He transmitted his communicator watch. "Come in, Tails! This is Sonic!" He reported. "Eggman had retreated from the Solaropolis Junkyard with Carter! We're in pursuit! Do you copy?"

Tails was flying a solar powered airplane he borrowed from Robert called the Solar Wind. Amy, Cream, and Cheese are riding with him. "I copy, Sonic!" Tails answered. "Go after Eggman and rescue Carter! Meanwhile, we'll go search for the Chaos Emeralds just in case we need them, and so Eggman won't be able to use them! We'll keep in touch! Tails out!" He turned to his friends in the backseat. "You okay back there?" He asked.

"Yeah, we're good!" Amy answered. "Let's go hunt some Chaos Emeralds!"

"I hope Sonic and the others find Carter," Cream said. Cheese chirped in agreement. And so, the Solar Wind took off at good speed in the air. They flew over the city.

Meanwhile, Chris and Silver were now at the Solaropolis Harbor, sitting at the pier, eating frozen yogurt, and gazing at the view of the ocean. Chris must be giving Silver a tour of the city.

"It's so beautiful out there," Chris said, licking his yogurt. "Isn't it, Silver?"

Silver didn't answer. His mind was filled with something. "Hey, uh, Chris?" He spoke up.

"Yeah, Silver?" Chris answered.

"Do you, um, think that's right?" Silver asked, licking his yogurt. "Telling someone what's going to happen in the future before that will even happen yet?"

"What do you mean?" Chris responded.

"Well, let's say that somebody's throwing you a surprise party and you don't like them because they give you heart attacks. Is that right to let that someone know about what's coming his way?"

"Well, that depends." Chris answered, licking his yogurt. "If that surprise party caused someone to have a heart attack, then it's important to warn him about it, even though it'll ruin the surprise, but it'll at least save his life. What you did was the right thing because it was a matter between life and death. Sometimes for the sake of the people, surprises are meant to be revealed."

"Uh-huh. Israel told me that every single move we make in the present can alternate the tiniest things in the future or even five minutes from now. Is that true?"

"I don't know," Chris shrugged. He finished his cone. "Why did you ask?"

"No reason," Silver said, also finishing his cone. Chris looked at him in curiosity whom just turned his head in shyness. Chris smiled as he grew very fond of his mysterious new friend. Silver had grown fond of him as well, for that the kid reminded him of Israel.

Suddenly, a huge shadow casted over the harbor. Chris and Silver looked up. Eggman's rocket zoomed over the harbor and jetted through the ocean area, creating a big gust behind, nearly blowing away Silver and Chris. "What was that?" Silver asked.

"Either that's G.U.N.'s brand new missile or Eggman is escaping with Carter," Chris answered. "Sonic must have arrived too late!"

"I hate it when you're right, Israel," Silver thought.

Suddenly, Sonic sped past them and skidded across the water at full speed.

"HEY SONIC!" Chis called out.

"Hey, guys! Gotta run!" Sonic called back. Next, Knuckles hopped on one harbor building to the other and glided across the water after Sonic. He smirked as he waved them good luck. "Later, guys! Got to catch that madman!" He declared. (Rouge and Topaz must have went separately.)

"They sure are in a hurry," Silver said.

"This can't be good, Silver," Chris said. "We've got to follow them and see what Eggman is up to."

"Huh?" Silver looked at him in puzzlement. "I thought you weren't going to interfere, Chris."

"We're not going to interfere, Silver," Chris assured. "We're just gonna take a closer look, to see if Sonic and Knuckles need any help finding Eggman and Carter."

"Wait a minute, who's 'we'?"

"You can fly, right? I can't keep up with them by foot. You can fly me, can't you?"

"What? B-But I have to go back home," Silver protested, backing up. "I already told Sonic and friends about the future. Besides, what good will that do if we tag along?"

"But don't you want to see if things go well? Besides, if you go, who knows when will we see you again, Silver?" Chris begged with pleading eyes.

"But I..." Silver gazed upon those appealing blue eyes which matched Israel's. He gave in. "...I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer." His golden time cuffs shone in the sunlight. He is safe and protected from the time rifts so no harm in making sure things are all right.

Chris beamed. "Alright, cool!" He cheered.

Silver grabbed Chris on the back. "Ready?"

"Uh-huh!"

Silver's body began to glow as he took flight. "Here we go!" He announced. As they got higher, Chris got excited. They soared up above the harbor and over the ocean. "Wow! This is amazing!" Chris shouted excitedly. "I'm flying! I'M REALLY FLYING!"

Silver struggled to gain his balance with Chris moving around in his arms. "Yeah! Could you hold still so I can fly properly?"

"Oh, sorry." Chris said. He felt the breeze blowing at his face and hair. "I've flew at Tails' X Tornado but I've never flown like this before! This is great!"

"Yeah...it's definitely great!" Silver agreed. As they soared higher in the sky, Sonic and Knuckles did their best to catch up with the Egg Rocket.

Sonic accelerated across the blue clear water and emitted large waves behind him as he skied across. "The one and only thing I like about water is running over it and not getting wet!" He said. Suddenly, a dark shadow lurked in the water behind him. "Hmm?" Sonic looked down. Suddenly, a black and white orca emerged from the water and breached, making a big wave that nearly knocked Sonic off. "Hey! Watch where you going!" He sputtered. The orca leered back and snickered. Another orca swam behind Sonic and gleamed at him with those beady little black patched eyes. There was another orca too on his side and another side behind the running hedgehog. They seemed to be challenging him. "So you guys wanna race, huh?" Sonic smirked. "Okay, bring it on!" He sped across the water while the orca tried to keep up, splashing and dashing.

Knuckles he glided through the sailboats. The youthful people onboard waved to him.

Silver and Chris flew over the peninsula, viewing everything from above. They flew through the migrating geese. One was shock that the silver hedgehog and human boy were flying without wings! Chris waved to it and took off.

Tails, Amy, Cream and Cheese, in the Solar Wind ascended over the breathtaking land of Solaropolis region. The snowy mountains glistened beautifully. They were fascinated by it. Cheese saw something down there and abandoned the plane and soared down the ground. Cream choked out in worry and wonder why her friend left the plane. Tails and Amy looked concerned too. Then, out of the blue, Cheese returned with a Chaos Emerald! The young animals were impressed by the Chao's eyesight.

Elsewhere on the plains, Topaz drove a G.U.N. motorcycle over the greens, with Rouge riding along. They too were hunting for a Chaos Emerald. As they cycled along, a group of horses sprinted along with them. The girls were fascinated by them.

Back at the coastal area, Sonic ran across the ocean, overcoming the orcas. One was surprised when Sonic latched on his fin and sprang off high, looped through the natural arches in the middle of the ocean, landed on a rock formation, running up and down on its loop and landed right smoothly on the sandy shore. A couple of bathing suit girls noticed him. "Show-off!" Knuckles said, still gliding in the air. Suddenly, he looked up. Eggman's rocket flew over the coast and disappeared over headlands. Sonic hurriedly followed it by scampering up the rocky cliff. Knuckles followed behind. "Hey, wait for me, Sonic!" He shouted. He glided over the top. The beachgoers watched them go and waved good luck. Silver and Chris soared over the horizon to follow them.

At the flowery plains, Tails and Amy found another Chaos Emerald. Cream and Cheese made a flower necklace. A butterfly fluttered over them and landed on Cream's nose. She smiled as she placed the butterfly on her finger.

At the valley, Sonic chased down the Egg Rocket. He ran through an underpass, but when exited the end, the Eggship was gone! "What?! Eggman's rocket is gone!" Sonic exaggerated. "'But how?"

In the clouds, Eggman's escape rocket shadowed through the cumulous as cover. Eggman was satisfied. "Excellent, I think we lost them!" He said. "I don't know how could these meddlesome pests could have possibly find out about my plans! But we'll move to a more 'resourceful' hideout! This time they won't find us and interfere! HA HA HA!" He gripped on Carter tighter who groaned in annoyance.

"But Doctor, how will you get those Chaos Emeralds if they don't even know where you are?" Bocoe asked.

"Yeah, what's our next plan now?" Decoe added.

"Well, instead of having them come to me," Eggman answered. "We'll have to bring them to us instead...by force that is!" His glasses shone. Carter gasped. Eggman pulled the lever. Out from storage are three red, blue, and green robots that look almost identical except for their colors. They were shaped like dogcatcher and each carried giant nets.

"E-94's, Pest Catcher Brothers!" Eggman barked. "Go! Capture Sonic and his worthless friends and my prized treasures and bring them to ME!" He laughed manically.

"Yessir!" The robot brothers chorused. The floor latch opened up and the robot triplets flew from the rocket, on a mission to capture some prisoners. The danger is growing near...

A Pest Catcher rocketed through the sky, blowing off a wind, nearly knocking Silver off guard. "Whoa! That was one fast robot! I wondered where he's going?"

"Hey, look over there!" Chris pointed to a valley. Silver got lower. Sonic and Knuckles huddled up by the creek. Tails, Cream, Cheese, and Amy are also there with the Solar Wind parked. "What going on?" Silver asked.

"We lost it!" Sonic proclaimed. "How could we have lost it?"

"How could he moved so fast?" Amy said. "Even faster than you?" Sonic glared at her. "I don't mean that way, Sonic!"

"It's just Eggman's getting cockier by the minute!" Tails put in.

"Yeah...a little too cocky if you ask me," Knuckles said. "He's up to something evil no doubt. I don't like it!"

"He's right, we have to be careful, you guys!" Cream said. "He could strike anytime, anywhere!"

"We'll just have to keep our head up!" Sonic said.

"I know where Eggman is." Silver spoke up.

"Huh?" Everyone looked up. Silver and Chris landed in front of them. "Hey, guys!" Chris greeted.

"Chris! Silver! What are you doing here?" They asked together.

"We were just touring around," Chris answered. "And I, kind of dragged Silver along." He chuckled as he scratched his head.

"Oh Chris," Sonic said. "I know you like to help and all, but you have to think about what you're getting yourself into."

"I do. I just like adventures!" Chris said.

"It's true, Sonic," Amy said. "This boy's full of thrills. Once he spots a mission, there's no use stopping him."

"You're telling me," Silver said.

"Anyway, did you say you know where Eggman's new base is located, Silver?" Sonic asked.

Silver nodded. "He's located at Mount Helios. He over there over the mountains." He pointed over the highlands.

"How do you know?" Amy asked.

"I just know these things," Silver answered. "Because, I'm psychic!"

"If you say so, Silver," Chris accepted. Though he still wanted to learn more about his mysterious friend.

"Hold it! How do we know that you're telling the truth? Huh?" Knuckles put in, eying accusingly at Silver. "I bet you don't even know where he is and you just want us to play us for fools! I bet you're name isn't even Silver!" Silver was taken back.

"Knock it off, Knuckles!" Amy said, defending Silver.

"Yeah, if Silver said that Eggman's located at Mount Helios then its good enough for me!" Sonic said.

"Tsk! You guys so naive!" Knuckles scoffed. "You can't possibly be buying this!"

"We have to if we want to find Carter," Tails said. "And looks who's talking about naive!"

Knuckles was taken back in awkwardness. It's true that Knuckles can be naive sometimes, especially around Eggman.

"Enough talk. Let's go!" Sonic said.

"Right!" Everyone agreed.

Elsewhere, Topaz and Rouge arrived at some kind of ancient ruined city, on the hunt for the Chaos Emerald. There were old pillars everywhere. They looked around in awe. "Ah!" Rouge said. "Another ancient place we came. How quaint!"

"According to this map, this was an ancient city of Solaris," Topaz stated, looking at her scanner. "Legend has it that this city took place when Judgement Day took event. Solaris in his full form reigned upon the ancient Solarians for their sins and errors, until two golden warriors stood up to him and showed the goodness of the people's hearts and tamed the darkness inside the sun god. Afterwards, Solaris went returned to the sun and balance to the world."

"Really? Enchanting story." Rouge said. "But enough about that. We're here for the Chaos Emerald, not to listen for some more myths! Treasure hunter instinct, do you stuff!" She took a big whiff. Then she tracked it down like a metal detecter. She sniffed around and felt something underneath her boots. "Hmm..." She thought as she dug her hearty toes in the earth. "Something tells me..." Then she did a tornado drill to dig up the spot. Some dirt got on Topaz. "Hey, watch it!"

When the bat finished digging, she revealed a Chaos Emerald. "All right!" Rouge looked at it in ecstatically. She pulled it out and gazed at it in admiration. "Hello, gorgeous! Even when you're covered in dirt, you're still so beautiful, my precious little friend!"

Topaz brushed the dirt off her. "Nice job, Rouge!" She said. The girls moved along while Rouge continued to cherish her prize like it's an adorable puppy.

Next, they came across some kind of Stonehenge that is shaped like the sun. "What's this weird place?" Topaz asked in mystique. "Some kind of mystic monument?"

"I don't know," Rouge answered, still admiring her Chaos Emerald.

"If I remember the story correctly, the priest of Sunny Town fought Iblis here and sealed the monster inside himself on this exact spot." Topaz said. "That's where he disappeared. The worst ended when that happened."

"Hmm." Rouge answered. She tossed the emerald in her hand. The girls looked at each other for a while. Then a group of robots appeared from the stones, along with the green Pest Catcher Brother and surrounded the agents.

"Well, what have we have?" Rouge said. "Must be Eggman's new toys!"

"Let's get this over with," Topaz said, getting out her gun. The robots set their attacks on the girls. Topaz fired her guns against them. Rouge tornado kicked over.

"You're under arrest!" The PSB robot said. "Time to put you in the pound!"

"Not today!" Rouge resisted. "I'm a free bat!" She kicked the robot's armor. It tried to net her but she dodged. "Missed me!" Rouge taunted. The robot kept netting her, she kept dodging. "Missed me again, metal head!" She front flipped over the robot and then did another tornado kick. It caught it off guard. It launched a lasso leash. It wrapped around Rouge's leg and pull her down, slamming her to the ground. "Ouch!" Rouge muttered. Then the leash dragged her up from the ground. Rouge screamed. The Pest Catcher elevated in the air, towing the bat along.

Topaz continued fighting the robots. "You wanna piece of me?! Come get me!" She shouted. The robots kept charging at her.

Rouge looked up and smirked. She opened her bat wings and soared up to the robot with a string still attached to her ankle. "Time to wrap this up!" Then she spiraled around it it, literally wrapping it with its own lasso. It was now snared. "Looks like you're all tied up!" She said. Then she slammed it hard on the ground with her screw kick.

Topaz threw a ticking a bomb at one of the robots. It set out an electrical explosion, conducting all the other robots nearby and destroy them to pieces. Topaz kicked a head over. "Hmph!"

Rouge came by her side. "Topaz! You alright?"

"It's good now!" Topaz answered, standing boldly. "HA! These guys weren't so tough! Sometimes, I don't know why I worry about those things!" But she didn't realized that the Pest Catcher Brother rose up, undefeated for a count, snuck up behind her and aimed its cannon at her. Rouge saw it and gasped in alarm. The robot fired out its electric net! "You're mine!" It programmed.

"Topaz!" Rouge cried as she flew to her friend's side.

"Huh?" Topaz turned around.

"LOOK OUT!" Rouge pushed her away from danger...and then got herself caught in the electrifying snare! She screamed in agony.

"ROUGE!" Topaz screamed in concern.

"Topaz...GO!" Rouge managed to say. "Protect...the...Chaos...Emerald!" Suddenly, the Pet Snatcher snagged the Chaos Emerald from Topaz's hand too!

"Oh no!" Topaz cried.

"Get...out...of...here!" Rouge grunted as the surge kept shocking her. "Save...yourself!"

"I won't leave you, Rouge!" Topaz defied. She refused to leave her friend behind.

"GO!...I'll be...fine!" Rouge urged firmly. "Get away!...That's an...order!" She collapsed in the net.

Declined, Topaz had no choice but to retreat. "I'll come back for you, Rouge," she said. "I promise!" She escaped. The Pet Snatcher left the ancient ruins with Rouge as his hostage.

"Got a prisoner and a Chaos Emerald!" He reported.

"Excellent!" Eggman smiled. "One down, six to go! I'll have those Chaos Emeralds in no time!" He laughed.

The Solar Wind flew over the mountain valley. Amy, Cream, and Cheese spotted a village from above. It was an awesome view.

"Wow! Look at the village below!" Amy said. "It's so amazing!"

"They look like little dollhouses!" Cream said. "Think we could visit down there, Tails?"

"There isn't time for sightseeing, guys," Tails said. "Don't forget, we're on a mission to save the world. Silver said we should be prepared for the upcoming danger. Who knows what kind of devilish plan Eggman's cooking up?"

Amy looked down some more. "I hope Sonic and the others are doing alright," she said. The Solar Wind tilted as it traveled to a different direction.

"I'm sure they are," Cream said. "If I do say so myself, we are doing alright too. We've already found three Chaos Emeralds." The bag next to her held three shining Chaos Emeralds.

Down there at the valley village, Sonic and Knuckles were talking to the villagers, asking about a Chaos Emerald. The villagers nodded in consent and gave them a blue Emerald. Sonic took it and thanked them. The heroes' stomachs growled in hunger. When the happy villagers saw that the red echidna and the blue hedgehog haven't eaten, they decided to offer them food. Sonic and Knuckles were thankful, even when they were averse by the snails the villagers offered. Then, they continued on their way to Mount Helios.

"There goes Sonic again," Tails said. "Always on the run."

"So typical," Amy said. "That's what I like about him."

"I "Hey, what's that over there?" She pointed up ahead.

"Huh?" Tails and Amy looked ahead. An unidentified flying object was approaching them at high speed.

"Is that-" Amy started to say.

Suddenly, the upcoming object launched a missile at the Solar Wind! The girls screamed. "LOOK OUT!" Tails shouted. He quickly tilted the airplane left to dodge the missile. Tails breathed hard in surprise. "That was close!" He exhaled. "You girls okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine!" Amy said.

"We're okay!" Cream gasped. Then out from behind, the unidentified figure fired out more bullets, scaring everyone onboard.

"Hold on!" Tails shouted. He pulled the yoke up to make the plane tilt higher. The green object attacking them turned out to be one of the Pest Catcher Brothers. He rocketed to full pursuit.

"What is that? Why is it attacking us?" Cream shouted. She clung on her Chao friend.

"I don't know but we've got to get away!" Tails responded. He tried to command the plane to full speed. The robot was ganging up on them.

"Tails..." Amy spoke up. Tails started to sweat in tension.

The robot got closer until...WHAM! The robot rammed against the tail, knocking Amy off.

"Aaaahhh!" She screamed as she began to fall down.

"Amy!" Cried Tails.

"Hold on!" Cream cried. She hopped off the plane and flew down to catch her. The Pest Catcher chased Tails everywhere. "Come on!" Tails called out.

Amy continued to scream and descend until Cream caught her. "Don't worry, Amy! I got you!" She said.

"Thank you!" Amy said.

The robot chased Tails all the way through the mountain area, over and under the ridges.

"Come on, Robo-Freak!" Tails challenged. The robot chased after him. He was closing in on him. Tails came across a peak with clouds covering the top. "Come on..." He muttered. The plane disappeared into the clouds. The Pest Catcher went after him. BOOM! There was a crash. The robot brother collided into the peak. The Solar Wind emerged from above the cloud in vertical position. He had outwitted the robot!

"HA HA! That'll show you!" The little fox extolled triumphantly.

"TAILS!" The girls screamed.

"Hold on, guys!" Tails said. He went into full throttle to catch his girlfriends.

"Hurry!" Cream hollered. Cheese cried out, tugging on Amy's dress.

"I can't hold out much longer!" The pink hedgehog screamed.

Tails was closing on them. Unfortunately, another robot appeared and captured the girls in a giant net! Amy and Cream screamed.

"What?! OH NO!" Tails screamed. Then suddenly, he too was netted by another robot brother! The Solar Wind crashed into a mountain wall.

The two red and blue Pest Catcher Brothers had successfully kidnapped Sonic's friends! The girls struggled in the net. "Hey! Let us out!" Amy cried.

"Help me! Mama!" Cream whimpered. Cheese squealed.

Tails tried to tear off the net. His communicator watch slipped off, unable to call for help. The robots retreated to Eggman's base with some prisoners. "SONIC!" He bellowed, echoing through the mountains.

Chris and Silver walked around in the forest. "Brr! Is it cold here or is that just me?" Chris asked, shivering.

"This place...it's so huge. Look at these...large big brown and green leafy things!" Silver said, touching a tree.

"You mean trees?" Chris said. "Yeah, there a lot of them, Silver. This is the forest."

"Incredible! I've never seen anything like this before," Silver said. "It's so beautiful."

"You've never seen a forest?" Chris inquired. "There's lots of forests in the world. And also other animals too." He spotted a deer and a fawn.

"Hey look at that!" Silver said, crouching down in front of a boulder, near the creek.

"What is it?" Chris came to his side. They looked down beside the large rock. There, is a Chaos Emerald.

"Check it out," Silver said, gazing at it in wonder. "It's glowing."

"That's a Chaos Emerald," Chris said. "It's supposed to be one of the most powerful gems in the world."

"So this is a Chaos Emerald. It feels so potent. I can feel the overwhelming power coming from it in my hand."

"These magical gems can do anything you want it to."

"Anything?"

"Yep. They each provide unlimited power. If you gather all seven Chaos Emealds together, amazing things will happen, like Chaos Control."

"Chaos Control..." Silver thought.

Sonic and Knuckles arrived at Mount Helios at last.

"Is this..." Sonic questioned.

"Mount Helios!" Knuckles finished.

"This must be Eggman's new base!" Sonic said. "Time to pay the doctor a visit."

"That silver hedgehog better be right!" Knuckles said. He punched the door down.

The duo stepped in. They walked through the technological hallways and entered a large machinery room. "Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed. "I must admit, Eggman has really outdone himself this time." They walked around.

"Yeah, look at all those machines," Knuckles said, eying on a crane. "We better be on our toes. Anything could pounce on you if you're not careful." He stepped on a mine field. It went off. Knuckles gasped. It exploded! Knuckles launched up just in time. Sonic looked around and sensed danger. The other mine fields exploded. Sonic dodged them at light speed as well. He got on top of a machine. "That was close!" He said.

"Tell me about it!" Knuckles agreed, hanging from the vertical pole.

Suddenly, the alarm went off. "DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

"That's not a very good sign!" Sonic said.

"Oh, really?" Knuckles said sarcastically.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Bocoe shook the napping doctor. "Wake up, Doctor! We have an intruder!"

Eggman woke up. "Ub-bum...Wha? Intruder? That can't be!" He switched on the video monitors. There at the screen of the machinery room, Sonic and Knuckles were dodging the booby traps and lasers that were trying to prevent them from proceeding.

"Huh! Sonic?! HE'S...INSIDE?!" Eggman exclaimed in horror. "How can this be?! Impossible! How did he find it? More importantly, how the devil did he get in?!"

"The echidna, Knuckles is inside too," Decoe said. "What should we do now, Doctor?"

"Only one thing to do!" Eggman said. "Come on!" He exited his control room.

"Wait for us, Doctor!" The robots cried. They left the room too.

Knuckles glided over the large pit of deadly crunching grinders below. Sonic bounced off the flying robots to get across the other side of the room. "Come on!" Sonic called.

"Let's go!" Knuckles said. Together, they worked their way to reach Carter...and Eggman.

Silver and Chris also arrived at Mount Helios. "This must it," Chris said. "Mount Helios."

"Wow! It's so big!" Silver exclaimed. "What's all this white stuff on the mountain?"

"Um, that's snow," Chris answered.

"Snow?" Silver repeated. He elevated over the mountain rocks and dug his hand in the snow. "Brr! It's kind of cold!" He tasted it. "Blegh! Doesn't taste too great!" He blatted in distaste.

Chris chuckled. He spotted the entrance opened. "Hey, the entrance of the base is opened." He said. "I wonder if Sonic and Knuckles are inside." He went inside.

"Chris? Chris!" Silver went after him in the entrance. "Chris wait! Come back! Don't you think we need to devise a plan first? Anything could happen-aahhh!" He and Chris fell below a trap door! (It must have been activated after Sonic and Knuckles set off the intruder alarm.) They screamed as they tumbled down the chutes. They fell in two separate tubes.

Silver fell hard on the floor of a dark cold basement where junk machinery is stored. He got up and rubbed his side in pain. "Ouch! What a landing!" He muttered. "Where am I?" He looked around. It was kind of spooky with all the pointy sharp and dangerous looking objects around. Must be the junk room. His friend was nowhere to be found. "Chris? Chris!" He called. "I guess we got separated." He looked around some more. "This is so strange. Why would Eggman want to put his secret base here. Guess I'll have to find out later." He took off.

Elsewhere inside Eggman's lair, Chris landed in some kind of chamber on top of a pile of dirty laundry. He shook himself off. "Ugh! That was surprising!" He said, getting off the pile. "Silver? Where'd you go?" He called. "He must have fallen in the other chute. I hope he's okay." He left the laundry room and walked though the cold quiet hallways, searching for his lost cousin. "This place is so big! It's like a mad house here!" He commented. He spotted some robots patrolling the hallways and quickly hid. "I got to stay quiet and hidden. I don't want to get detected. Now let's see..." He quietly stealthily tiptoed through the robots. He was safe in the clear for now. _If I was kept prisoner, where would I be?_ He thought.

Sonic and Knuckles scurried through the hallways of the base. "This way!" Sonic said, pointing to another direction. They went to a different hallway. Knuckles punched a guardbot out of the way. Sonic kicked one down. Then they arrived at a laboratory chamber. "Eggman!" Sonic called out. "I know you're here, Eggman! Come out and show yourself!"

An evil laughter filled the chamber. The boys looked up. Eggman appeared behind the control room above. "Well, well, well! Look what the cat dragged in! Or should I say, look what the hedgehog dragged in! HO HO HO! What is it you want?"

"Where's Carter?" Sonic commanded. "What are you doing to him?"

"Relax, he's fine," Eggman assured him. "I haven't laid a finger on him. He's right here." He held the blue-haired school boy by the arm. "Hey, let me go!" Carter protested, trying to break away. "Don't just stand there, Sonic! Save me!"

"Better let him go, Eggman, or else!" Sonic commanded.

"Don't bother calling your friends!" Knuckles added, clasping his fists. "We took care of them personally."

"I'll let Carter go alright...right after you place that Chaos Emerald over there." Eggman pointed down there where the pedestal appeared. "And don't try any funny stuff, or else!" He clung unto Carter by the nape.

"Careful, Sonic, it might be a trap," Knuckles warned.

"I know." Sonic whispered. With caution, he placed the Chaos Emerald on the pedestal. "Now, Carter..."

"Actually, change of plans!" Eggman blared. He pressed the button. Carter and the robots gasped. Suddenly, a couple of laser cannons activated and pointed at the shocked duo.

"Hey, that was a dirty trick, Eggman!" Knuckles shouted.

"Not cool!" Sonic shouted.

"Say goodbye!" Eggman sneered.

"NO!" Carter yelled. The robots held together in suspense.

Just when the guns were about to fire, the entire power system went off! The lights went off. Everything went dark.

"Huh?" Everyone went.

"What?!" Eggman cried out in the dark. "What happened?!"

"The power went out!" Decoe said.

"Yeah, no drivel!" Eggman snapped. The emergency lights went on, brightening a little of the chamber.

"Now's our chance, Knuckles!" Sonic said.

"'Right!" Knuckles replied. Sonic buzzsawed all the lasers.

Carter, in the control room, bit Eggman in the arm who let go of him and ran off.

"Ouch! Why that little pest!" Eggman muttered angrily, rubbing his arm.

"Carter got away!" Knuckles stated.

"We have to find him now!" Sonic said.

"Oh no you don't!" Eggman barked. He pressed down a button. In the chamber, a group of robots appeared from above and surrounded the heroes.

"Great! More robots!" Knuckles said.

"Time to dance!" Sonic stated. So he and Knuckles battled the robots.

Eggman and his henchbots watched the fight.

"Get em'! Get em'!" Bocoe cheered the robots. "To your left, WHAM! That had to hurt!"

Bokkun came in the control room. "Doctor, Doctor! We have a problem," he squeaked.

"What is it now?" Eggman demanded.

"We have a rat in the basement that's been chewing on the electric cords! See?" Bokkun showed the video monitor of Silver shutting down the power system by blasting them with his psychic powers.

"Eh? What's this?!" Eggman barked in shock. "Who is that white rat?"

"Remember what I showed you back in the city? When he was teaching that swindler a lesson?" Bokkun said. "It's the same hedgehog I caught on video."

"What?! Who is he and how did he get in here?" Eggman asked. "Could he be the one who..."

"Hmm?" The robots asked.

"No it can't be!"

"Can't be what, Doctor?" The henchmen asked.

"Decoe, Bocoe! You go fix the generator!" Eggman ordered. "Bokkun, gather some more robots and have them exterminate some rats! Also, find the boy and bring him back to me! And don't fail me!"

"Yes, Doctor!" Decoe obeyed.

"Will do, Doctor!" Bokkun assented.

"What will you do, Doctor?" Bocoe asked.

"I'll take care of our little guest." Eggman said as he exited the room and ran through the half dark hallways. _If this little freako keeps ruining things, I'm finished!_ He thought. _Gotta take care of this ASAP!_

The henchmen looked at each other unsurely and went to to work. They grabbed a tool kit and headed toward basement. Bokkun called on a red button and set off the intruder alarm.

Back at the basement, Silver pulled the last of the pulls. "There, that should hold them off for a while. Time to fight for the future!" He flew off to the second floor. Suddenly, a blue giant net appeared out of nowhere in front of Silver! "Whoa!" Silver gasped in alarm and quickly took it out with a psychic slam. "That was close!" He said. The blue Pest Snatcher brother quickly replaced its wrecked net in its arm and confronted the floating hedgehog. "You're coming with me," he droned.

"Not without a fight you're not!" Silver retorted. He battled the robot who shot lasers at him. He dodged them.

Down below, Decoe and Bocoe worked on the wrecked control box.

"I hate this kind of job," Bocoe complained.

"Let's just get this over with it," Decoe said, wrenching. The robots worked on fixing the power box.

Sonic and Knuckles finished battled the robots and exited the chamber down the barely lit halls, battling more robots.

Chris walked across the dimmed hallways. He cautiously sneaked around. He then came across a barely closed door. He pried it open with his fingers. When he finally opened it all the way, Carter met him face to face with him. Both of then screamed in startlement.

"Geez! You scared the daylights out of me, Chris!" Carter snapped.

"And you didn't scare me?" Chris retorted. "I thought you were one of Eggman's robots!"

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Carter demanded.

"Looking for you," Chris answered.

"For me?" Carter was surprised. "Are you nuts? Don't you realize what could have happened to you if you came here?"

"Yeah," Chris answered, unafraid. "But somebody has to do it." Carter looked at him like he's crazy.

The robots finished fixing the main power box. "There, that should do it!" Decoe said. Bocoe pulled on the reset switch. "Here we go!" He said. The entire power source rebooted. All the lights went back on. Everyone inside noticed.

The alarm went off. "WARNING! INTRUDER ALERT! PRISONER IS MISSING FROM CELL BLOCK 17! I REPEAT! INTRUDER ALERT! PRISONER IS MISSING FROM CELL BLOCK 17! INITIATING SEARCH AND DESTROY NOW!" Carter and Chris gasped.

"What's going on?" Carter asked.

"Oh no! We've been discovered! The systems must have rebooted!" Chris said.

"So now what will we do?" Carter asked.

"We got to get of here, fast." Chris said. "We have to go this way!" He took his cousin's hand.

Carter angrily snatched it back. Chris was shocked. "I don't take orders from you!" He snapped. "What makes you think you can boss me around?" He turned his back and folded his arms.

Chris was losing patience. He placed his hand on his head and sighed disappointedly. He couldn't believe how stubborn his cousin was being. He placed his hands on his hips. "You got two choices, Carter," he said firmly. "You can stay here and wait for Dr. Eggman and his robots to come capture you again or you can trust me to help to you escape this place and get you home safely. Which one?"

Carter gasped in fright. Scared, he thought about being Eggman's prisoner again and realized that he didn't have a choice. "Fine!" He confirmed irritably. "Lead the way! But don't mess up!" Chris took his hand as the two boys fled and searched for their way out.

Sonic and Knuckles fought off the robots and took them down. "Grr! Stupid robots!" Knuckles grunted. "This is getting on my nerves!"

"Well, now that's taken care of, let's go find Carter and get out of here ASAP!" Sonic said.

"Actually, we won't have to," Knuckles said, pointing behind Sonic. "They found us." Sonic looked behind him. "Huh?" Chris and Carter approached them. "Hey, guys," Chris said.

"What are you doing here, Chris?" Sonic asked.

"Well, uh..." Chris started to explain.

"Lassie Boy here invaded here, trying to bust my butt out of here," Carter said.

"Yeah, what he said," Chris answered.

"You got guts, kid," Knuckles said.

"No thanks to you, dilly-dallying while I'm taken hostage by crazy hairy kook with a weight problem, wandering when were you blunders gonna save me!" Carter complained.

"Hey, we're here, aren't we?" Sonic answered, annoyed by his snootiness.

"But you weren't fast enough!" Carter retorted. "Some rescue team you are!"

"What?! You ungrateful little!" Knuckles snarled. "I ought to knock your teeth out!" He showed his feet to Carter who was unintimidated by his outburst and just glared at him.

Sonic transmitted his communicator watch. "Come in, Tails! This is Sonic! Do you read me? Over." There was no response. "Come in, Tails! This is Sonic! Are you alright?" Still no response. "That's funny. There's no response." Sonic said. "And I haven't heard from Rouge either. Where could they be doing?"

"Do you think something happened to them?" Chris asked in concern.

"I'm sure they're fine, Chris," Knuckles said. "They're probably too busy hunting for those Chaos Emeralds. Plus, Rouge can take care of herself." The boys had no idea that their friends have been captured prisoners.

Suddenly, the red Pest Catcher Brother crashed into the hall and confronted them. The gang gasped. "Not another robot?!" Carter cried.

"Come on, punk!" Sonic opposed it.

"There's no time! The doors are closing!" Knuckles said. Indeed, the doors as sealing shut as the alarm is still blaring. "Get Chris and Carter out of here now!"

"But Knuckles..." Sonic started to protested.

Knuckles pushed him and the boys out the door. "Go! Get out here now!" He ordered. "I'll see you on the other side!"

"KNUCKLES!" They shouted.

The door sealed shut. Behind it, there was a sound of struggle, then there was a net being launched, followed by a loud deep scream as a sign that the bold echidna was captured!

"Knuckles!" Chris cried in concern.

"Knucklehead," Carter blurted out, thinking that Knuckles' sacrifice was foolish.

"We'll come back for him!" Sonic said. "Right now, we gotta go!" So he and the boys ran down the hall.

"I hope Silver's ok!" Chris said.

"I'm sure Knuckles and Silver can take care of themselves!" Sonic said. "Hopefully." He thought, _Silver has no clue how dangerous Eggman is!_

Back at the basement, Silver continued battling the Pest Catcher Brother. "Come on!" He shouted. The robot launched its leash whip. Silver smoothly eluded it as it wagged around. He locked with a psychic hold and wrapped it around the robot. Eggman in his eggmobile secretly watched everything from here. _Impressive ability!_ He thought. _This hedgehog got skills! Psychic skills! Could he be the one who warned Sonic and his friends? Of course! Who else with ESP could have guessed about my plans and my location? I wonder..._

Silver finished off the robot by thrusting through its metallic armor by spin dash. The robot fell down with a thud.

"Phew! That was a tough one!" Silver said, wiping his forehead. He then looked at his Chaos Emerald. "Better find Chris so we can get out of here." He walked along the bridge and then sensed someone approaching him from behind. "Huh?" He turned around and saw none other than Eggman hovering behind him and strangely, applauding him as if he done a good job. Silver gasped.

"Bravo, young un'!" He said. "Nicely done! Jolly good show! I must say, you've got quite an impressive ability! What is it, ESP?"

"It's you!" Silver shouted. He threw a psychic hold on the fat doctor and lifted him up from the eggmobile!

"Gaaahhhh!" Eggman shouted. He hung upside. "Why you little-I ought to..." His angry face then turned to cool and fascinated. "I mean, Excellent!" He pretended to be allured by the hedgehog's ability. "That's a very good trick, my friend! Awesome! Did you by any chance happened to warn Sonic about the future?"

"What's it to you, Eggman?" Silver snapped. He held the startled doctor very high in the air. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break you like an egg? Answer me!"

"Now, now, let's not be so rash," Eggman said. "Violence doesn't solve everything you know. Silver's your name, right? All I ask from you is hear me out!"

"About what?" Silver asked, still psychic holding the doctor.

"Well, truth is, I'm not as crazy as I look," Eggman fibbed. "In fact, I know perfectly well the difference between right and wrong. And yes, I admit, I've done some pretty naughty things in the past. But you know what? Sometimes, I do feel remorse about what I did. In fact, this is my biggest one yet! This may sound crazy but I've decided to change my ways and live in peace like a good citizen on Earth."

"What?!" Silver could not believe what he heard. "That's not what the data-I mean what my premonition viewed! Your only intention is to conquer the world and destroy everything in your path! I will not allow that to happen, Eggman! I'm going to save our world!" He lifted him higher in the air.

"Now wait just a second, buddy!" Eggman staggered. "You got me all wrong! I wasn't trying to conquer the world at all! At least, not anymore! I was only merely trying to save it too!"

Silver lessened. "You were?"

"Of course! That's why I wanted the Chaos Emeralds so I can restore peace and harmony to this world!" Eggman lied.

"Huh?"

"I also intended on creating a time machine to redo things in the past, for a better future."

"Oh really?" Silver said, half believing him. He placed Eggman down. "Then why you were kidnapping Carter and Sonic's friends? Explain that to me!"

"Kidnapping is such an _ugly_ word!" Eggman said, faking an offended face. "I was merely only trying to rescue them. You know, shelter them from danger! But the problem is, someone's trying to prevent me from doing it."

"Who?"

"Sonic." Eggman answered gravely.

"Sonic? As in Sonic the Hedgehog?"

Eggman nodded.

"But why would he do that? He's the hero!"

"Exactly my point! But when he saw that if I were to save your friends and the entire world, I would be recognized as the biggest hero on the planet and in the entire history of it and he would bump into second place. He doesn't want that to happen, you see. So he's determined to thrash all my plans for a better future at all stakes. I was afraid that his reckless attempts to save his reputation will destroy us all! That's why I had to do this! Take extreme measures to save our world. I know it's a little rough but it's the only way to help your friends." He placed his hand on Silver's shoulder. "You understand, don't you, Silver, my boy?"

Silver seemed to have believed him! Eggman secretly grinned evilly as the silver hedgehog bought his fake story.

"So...The Iblis Trigger is Sonic!" Silver whispered to himself. "I've should have known!" He turned to Eggman. "Where's Sonic?" He asked. "What's his next move?"

Eggman showed his video camera to Silver. Viewed from the monitors, Sonic, Chris, and Carter were fleeing down the hallways for an escape.

"He's currently located near the mountain exit," Eggman replied. "If you hurry, you can still catch him. Those poor two boys! If only they had knew that Sonic was leading them to their downfall! If only someone could save them!"

"Then I'll do it!" Silver avowed determinedly. "I must teach Sonic a lesson and rescue these boys! I'm sorry I misjudged you, Eggman and thanks for giving me a heads up!"

Eggman shook his hand. "Oh, it's okay, Silver! Just stop Sonic and save our world. Only you can do this! Why don't you give the Chaos Emerald, just for safe keeping?" He held his hand out.

"Sure. And don't worry, I will stop Sonic!" Silver promised, handing him over the Chaos Emerald. He then teleported.

Eggman laughed in triumph. "HA HA HA! Stupid sap! What an idiot! Never trust an evil genius! Especially someone like me! Hee hee hee!" He transmitted his walkie talkie. "Decoe! Bocoe! Prepare the Eggship! Our plan's back on track! Time to move into phase 3! World domination!"

"Aye aye, sir!" The robots replied. "Preparing for liftoff!"

Eggman grinned maliciously. _This time you're finished, Sonic!_ He thought.


	14. Sonic vs Silver, Hedgehog Brawl

Sonic finally escorted Chris and Carter out of the base. "Well, it's about time." Carter said. "We could have gotten out of there sooner!"

"Well, pardon my tardiness, my lord, but we got a little tied here," Sonic retorted.

"Hmph! You're supposed to be the fastest thing alive!" Carter sassed back. "Guess you weren't fast enough!" He folded his arms.

Sonic growled at him. "You better watch yourself, pal," he gritted warningly. "You're about to find out that I'm more than just fast. I'm also prickly!"

"Okay, you two," Chris stepped in. "Knock it off. The important thing is that we're home free." Sonic and Carter continued to glare at each other. Chris urged them to keep moving. From above, Silver observed them from the tree. His fist clenched. He is about to take on Sonic the Hedgehog.

As the trio walked through the woods, Chris asked, "ever get the feeling that we're being watched?"

"My feet hurt!" Carter complained. "Can't we call a cab or anything?"

"Do you see a cab company or phone anywhere?" Chris replied. "We're way further from civilization, Carter. It's only a couple more hours. Think of it as an adventure."

"FYI, I hate adventures," Carter replied. "I hate walking a lot."

"You hate everything," Chris replied. As the cousins kept talking, Sonic discovered Tails' missing communicator watch. He knew something is wrong. _Tails' watch_, he thought. _Something is definitely wrong!_ He looked up high in the woodsy sky. He halted the boys to stop. He suddenly picked them up to jump from a psychic blast launched from above. The boys exclaimed in alarm.

"What was that?" Chris asked.

"What's the big idea?" Carter demanded.

Sonic looked up. Silver floated up in the air. They gasped. "So you're the Iblis Trigger," Silver said to Sonic. He landed in front of surprised gang. "Your reckless actions will condemn us all!"

"What?!" Sonic spoke out in surprise.

"Silver, what are you doing?!" Chris asked in confusion.

"Sorry, Chris, but circumstances have changed," Silver said. He pointed to Sonic. "I just found out that he's the Iblis Trigger! Sonic's responsible for the destruction of our planet! He's the one responsible for the darkening of a new age of Iblis!"

"What?!" Sonic and the boys cried out in shock.

"Me, the Iblis Trigger?!" Sonic blurted out in shock.

"What do you mean?" Carter asked.

"Sonic will trash Eggman's airship and destroy everything he worked so hard!" Silver answered. "His selfish intentions to keep his boisterous reputation will endanger everybody onboard, including you, Chris!"

"What?! That can't be true!" Chris protested. "Sonic would never do that! He's the good guy!"

"I'm sorry to say this but it's true!" Silver said seriously. "He's a good guy gone bad!" He stepped forward to Sonic. His hand began to glow.

"What is happening?" Carter murmured.

Sonic stepped back. "Hey, hey, Silver! Come on, lighten up!" He said. "You don't really think I'm the Iblis Trigger, do you? You're obviously playing some stupid prank, right?"

"Does this look like I'm playing around?" Silver retorted, lighting both hands. He floated up. "I am going to put an end to all your sick stunts. Your vandalizing days are through! It's time for a one-on-one showdown!" He glowed down on them.

Tension was rising in the air. Sonic could not believe that their new friend from the future, Silver thought that Sonic was evil and now he's declaring war on him, hoping to save his future and world from him. Sonic stood back, guarding the boys. "Sonic..." Chris whispered in concern.

"I don't want to fight you, Silver," Sonic said.

"Too bad! You should have thought of that before you decided to havoc our world!" Silver responded coldly. He warmed up a psychic knife.

"Sonic, I think he means it," Chris said to Sonic. Nearby, Eggman hid in the trees driving the same hovering machine with mechanical arms. "That's it," he said softly. The robotic hands flexed their fingers.

"Chris, I need you to take Carter and go on home without me," Sonic instructed. "I'll catch up with you later."

"But Sonic, what will happened to you and Silver?" Chris asked.

"Don't worry about me," Sonic said. "Just focus on escorting Carter home safely!"

"But Sonic..." Chris protested.

Carter backed away nervously. He did not see who was sneaking up behind him with menacing limbs.

"Don't argue with me, buddy!" Sonic insisted. "Do it!"

Then there was a scream. Sonic and Chris looked up. Carter had been captured by the evil Dr. Eggman again! The poor boy squirmed in the mechanical hands. "So how was your little walk, pretty boy?" Eggman sneered. "Ready to go back in?" Carter yelled in fright.

"Carter!" Sonic and Chris shouted.

"Hmph!" Silver nodded. He's glad Eggman's 'helping' him out.

"Let him go, Eggman!" Sonic shouted. He tried to step in but Silver paralyzed him with his telekinesis! "Not today!" Silver declared.

Sonic inveighed in surprise. He was then tossed and slammed against the tree. Chris and Carter gasped in shock. Sonic groaned in pain as he collapsed to the ground. He'd never received such an surprise attack like that before.

"Oh no!" Chris cried. Sonic coughed in pain as he crawled on fours. Eggman grinned maliciously. "Yes!"

Silver walked up to the down blue hedgehog and looked down on him in disappointment. "Tsk! Is this some kind of joke? How can someone like you cause the downfall of our planet?" He reprehended.

"What...do you mean, Silver?" Sonic breathed out in.

"It doesn't matter," Silver said. "For the sake of our planet and future, I will finish you!" He raised his glowing hand, aiming to eliminate. Sonic gasped in trepidation as he shielded himself. Eggman grinned triumphantly. "That's it, Silver! Finish me!" He cheered.

"NO!" Chris stepped in, protecting Sonic. "Please, Silver, stop this! He hasn't done _anything_ to you!" He pleaded.

"Get out of the way, Chris!" Silver ordered. "Do you want our world to be destroyed? I have no choice!"

"No!" Chris replied, shaking his head. "But I'm not going to let you hurt Sonic!" Sonic appreciated his buddy for sticking his neck out for him.

"Chris, please!" Silver's patience was running thin, and so was Eggman's. "For Pete's sake..." He muttered. He stepped in.

"CHRIS LOOKOUT!" Carter shouted.

Chris looked up and gasped. CLANCH! "AAAHHHH!" He too got captured!

Eggman took off with the captured boys. "I got them, Silver!" He blared. "Finish off Sonic!"

"SONIC, HELP US!" The boys cried.

"Chris! Carter!" Sonic ran after them.

Silver knocked him over with a psychic blast. "Don't you dare turn your back on me!" He vented.

"Hey, come on!" Sonic protested. "I gotta save these kids!" He ran at full speed. Silver chased after him. "No you're not!"

Sonic sprinted through the forest, but Silver caught up to him and tackled him from behind.

"What are you doing?" Sonic disputed. The two homing attacked each other, bouncing off through the trees.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Silver replied back. "I preventing you from going after Eggman! Don't you see? I'm trying save you from yourself!"

"Really? That's an odd tactic!" Sonic replied. "I don't know what has suddenly snapped you, but I don't have time for this fooly-hardy! Let's get this over with!" He charged at Silver. He fought back. And so, a grudge match between two gifted hedgehogs embarked.

The two battled each other like never before because it was their first encounter. They are equally matched, speedily agile and combative skilled. But neither of them would give up. They sprung from the forest and raced down over the prairie. They sped at the speed of sound, Sonic ran on ground while Silver soared at psychic speed. They left trails of blue and aquamarine blurs behind. They glared at each other face to face. "Hey, you're pretty fast for a little guy who doesn't wear running shoes!" Sonic said. "But can you keep up with me?" He sped on ahead.

"Yes, I can!" Silver made a comeback confidingly as he flew in full throttle. Sonic saw him catching up. "No way!" He exclaimed in impression.

"That's right!" The slated hedgehog said. He through a psychic spear. Sonic dodged and stuck his tongue out. "Nice trick!" He said. "Let me show you mine!" He launched a spin dash against Silver. He dodged too and then tried to tackle Sonic who again eluded him. "Stand still!" Silver said.

The hedgehogs continued to duel head on. They coursed through the plains. Sheep bleated as they ran away from the fight. A shepherd watched in awe. He tipped his glasses. The hedgehogs rumbled through the haystacks. Some stuck on to their lips and waists, they looked like they're wearing hula skirts and mustaches. They faded off when the hedgehogs went into the farm area.

The locals were startled by their dramatic arrivals. Silver grabbed onto Sonic on the back, but Sonic counterattacked by grappling Silver's head with his feet and flinging him across, inside a barn. He crashed against the granary. He groaned as animal feed poured down his head. Chicken clucked. "Do you give up yet?" Sonic asked, confronting him.

"Don't bet on it!" Silver got up. The locals watched from the hole the hedgehogs created. Silver used his ESP to lift the barn objects such as fresh eggs and sacks and threw them at the blue hedgehog who simply dodged. Chickens clucked again as they molted their feathers in excitement.

"Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me!" Sonic taunted, sticking his tongue out and smacking his rear. "I'm right here! No, right here! Ha ha! Come on, slow poke! You can do better!" A little kid was bouncing up and down, cheering, "get him, Sonic!"

Annoyed, Silver tossed sharp farm tools at Sonic. He jittery evaded them! "YIKES! Hey, someone could get hurt!" He said.

Silver then lifted the pitchfork and threw it at him. "Take this!"

Sonic screamed in alarm and winced.

"Oh my gosh!" A local cried in shock, covering her son's eyes.

PRONG! Luckily the tines missed Sonic, but he was caught in the gap! He struggled to get out. Silver took a dive at him. "You're mine!"

WHAM! Silver thrashed Sonic so hard, they broke through the wall! The locals were surprised. Sonic quickly recovered and kicked Silver back smartly. Sonic retreated from the farm, Silver flew after him. "Come back, coward!" The farmers watched them go.

Silver chased Sonic through the fields. "Catch me if you can!" The cerulean hedgehog challenged. Silver shot more psychic bombs at the fleeing hedgehog. They went all the way to the windmill area. Sonic got onto one of the sails, and rode on. Silver got on as well and leaped onto the same sail Sonic was on. On the edge, they resumed their duel, punching, kicking, and blocking.

"You're really pushing the limit, buddy!" Sonic grunted, fighting him.

"And you're pushing mine!" Silver retorted. He punched Sonic in the stomach who groaned and fell over, but quickly clung onto the sail. He rubbed his stomach. As it tilted down, Silver teleported and floated in the air. He prepared his next psychic move. "Psychic Wave!" He called.

Sonic was getting fed up. "That's it!" He said. "No more Mr. Nice Guy!" He returned to the edge of the sail.

As soon as he was on top again, Sonic curled up into a ball and jump-thrashed Silver in the air. He nearly lost flight.

"How's that?" His blue opponent jibed. Silver looked at him in impression. _He's fast! _He thought._ I must be wrong about him. He is good. But not good enough! _He rocketed toward bounding blue blur and took him down with a double fist punch. Sonic descended toward the lake. Silver dove after him. When they met face to face again, the hedgehogs locked arms in combat.

The two wrestled as they plunged into the blue lake and splashed big time, creating one big sprout! Underwater, the hedgehogs clashed again. Bubbles appeared everywhere. They punched, kicked, and gurgled when they received blows from each other. Silver then elevated some stones from the bottom and flung them up against Sonic who quickly eluded them. He then spun kicked Silver who also dodged. Running out of air, Sonic tried to swim to surface but his opponent grabbed his ankle. Sonic punched him off and proceeded up to the surface. He gasped for air and reached the shore. Then suddenly, the water began to ripple and the turquoise light appeared in the water. Sonic gasped and immediately sprang out of the water. As the lake swirled in a whirlpool, Silver hovered from the middle, ready for vengeance! His eyes and body glowed as he is ready to take on Sonic.

"Wow, this guy means business! Gotta watch my back!" Sonic said.

"Come on!" Silver challenged. He threw some more psychic blasts. Sonic dodged them as he ran away.

Silver rocketed besides him. "Where do you think you're running off to?" He said.

"Hey, Buddy! Why don't you cool off and let us take five! Whatever it is, we can talk about it over a round of pizza and drinks!" Sonic merely proposed, trying to make peace. "What do you say?"

"I know what you're trying to do," Silver replied. "You're trying to gain my comparison! Well, it won't WORK!" He rammed into Sonic. "You just don't know when to QUIT!" Sonic thrashed back. They grappled hold on each other. They tumbled down a hill in a big ball until they landed on top of a railroad track.

Sonic and Silver got up and faced each other again. They paused for a minute, panting and sweating, tired out from battle.

"I must admit, you're pretty awesome!" Sonic panted. "I'm impressed."

"You're not too bad yourself, Sonic!" Silver breathed out. "You really are a worthy opponent. But your luck has ran out!" He prepared to fight again.

"Not quite!" Sonic said, putting up his fists.

Suddenly, there was a loud toot emitting from the distance. Sonic looked that way. A train was coming their way. "Uh-oh! Time to bail!" He said, taking off.

"Oh no you don't! You can't get away from me that easily!" Silver shouted. He started to go after him but something held him back. "What the?" His foot is caught underneath the rail! He struggled to pull it out. He tried flying off but he is too wedged in the tracks.

The train horn blew again, Silver gasped in fear. The train is coming and he is stuck! "Hey! I can't get loose! Somebody get me off!" He panicked as he frantically tried to rid himself free.

Sonic looked behind him and screeched to a halt. He saw that the mysterious hedgehog is in danger. Despite that he tried to kill him, Sonic rushed back there to rescue him. The train of death was closing in on the trapped hedgehog! Silver yelled in fear as he cringed helplessly, waiting to be hit.

At the speed of light, Sonic dashed down the tracks and snagged Silver off loose the rail, just in time before the train ran over! The two hedgehogs rolled down a hill and landed on soft grassy ground. They panted in a close call. Sonic patted Silver on the back, "you alright, buddy?" He asked.

Disgruntled, Silver roughly pushed him off. "Keep your hands off me! I didn't call for your help!" He growled. "And don't call me your buddy!" That was cold. He dusted himself.

"You're welcome!" Sonic replied in exasperation. "Gee whiz! You can at least thank somebody who just saved your skin!"

"Why on Earth did you save me?" Silver inquired. "I thought you only cared about yourself, Mr. Number One Bigshot!"

"Um, because it's the right thing to do." Sonic answered nobly. "That's what heroes do. Duh!"

"Yeah, right! Don't think that your brave rescuing act is going to get me off track! I know what your plans are, Iblis Trigger! I won't rest until I make you suffer the consequences!" Silver retorted, facing him again as he walked around him.

"What are you talking about, Silver?" Sonic demanded, eyeing on him.

"Don't play games with me! You know what I'm talking about! You'll do anything to protect your ego, blue freak! I was warned about you, about your upcoming, about what will happen if I let you go..."

As Silver talked away, Sonic noticed the last Pest Snatcher was traipsing around in the woods area. He saw that it was carrying a Chaos Emerald in its mechanical hand.

"Hey look there!" Sonic said, pointing over. "That robot's got a Chaos Emerald!"

"Oh no! Don't go changing the subject!" Silver said.

"No, I'm serious!" Sonic persisted. "We gotta stop that robot before it returns to Egg-Ugnh!"

Silver crippled him with his psychic attack again! "Enough!" He boomed. "It's time to end this once and for all!" He made his last final attempt to finish off his blue opponent.

Sonic grunted in anguish. "Look...up...'bove...you!" He gritted. A shadow appeared over the hedgehogs. "Huh?" Silver looked up.

The red Pest Catcher Brother aimed its gun at them and fired the net! The hedgehogs got ensnared in it! They exclaimed in alarm as they tried to break free. The robot reeled them in and gassed the tussling hedgehogs. They coughed and wheezed.

"Hey...what's...happening?" Silver coughed.

"Sleeping...gas...hold...your...ugh!" Sonic and his rival passed out as they are captured prisoner in the net!

Eggman in his eggmobile arrived near the successful Pest Catcher Brother. "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" The robot reported.

Eggman cackled menacingly as he rubbed his hands together. "Hee, hee, hee! Two hedgehogs in one stone! Or should I say _one_ _Emerald_!" He said as he took the last Chaos Emerald from his cocky metallic minion. He ogled the unconscious hedgehogs in the net like a greedy lion over his meat. "I've got all seven Chaos Emeralds! Sonic and his friends are in my clutches! VICTORY IS FINALLY MINE! NYAH HA HA HA!" He laughed in a immoral manner. Sonic and Silver slept helplessly as the diabolical scientist claimed his long-waited victory.

Things do not look good for our heroes...


	15. Chaos in the Skies

"Unnnnhhhh..."

Sonic regained consciousness. He found himself i of dark chamber but he can't make where exactly is he. "Where am I?" He groaned. He tried to move. "What?" His wrists and ankles are bound in a set of strong steely cuffs, chained into X framed position. He found himself in some kind of restraining stock that kept him prisoner and immobilized. "Hey, what is this?!" He uttered in dread, trying to break free.

"Sonic?" A tiny voice said.

"Huh?" Sonic looked on his left. Tails, too was bonded to the restraining frame next to him.

"Tails?" Sonic asked.

"Hey, Sonic," the little fox replied meekly.

"What are you doing here?" Sonic asked.

"I was asking the same question," another voice said.

"Chris?"

Chris is indeed bound next to them.

"Sonic!" Another voice said.

"Amy!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Ooh, Sonic! I thought I would never see you again!" The pink hedgehog said happily. "If I wasn't so bound up to these chains, I'd squeeze you right now!"

"We're so happy to see you here with us, Mr. Sonic!" Cream added. Her Chao friend chirped. They're trapped in the restraints as well.

"Cream and Cheese!" Sonic said.

"No offense, Mr. Sonic, but we were hoping you would come to rescue us from these chains, " the little rabbit said.

"Sorry," Sonic replied sheepishly.

"A fine mess you got us into, Sonic," Knuckles put in. He was right next to them.

"Hey, Knuckles!" Sonic greeted. Knuckles grunted in response. "Anyone else here, too?"

"Well, well! I never thought I'd see the handsome blue blur himself would get into hot water with us," A sexy feminine voice replied.

"Rouge, you too?" Sonic replied.

The bat chuckled coyly. "Well, this is kind of awkward." She said. "Here I am, the world's greatest treasure hunter stolen by the nasty man, trapped here in a dungeon with the pack of goofballs!"

"Goofballs?!" Amy shrilled in irritation.

"But at least I got to be next to the guy of my dreams!" Rouge winked at Knuckles. He turned his away, blushing in embarrassment. "That's where you belong, anyway!" He mumbled. "What was that, love?" Rouge replied.

"Looks like the gang's all here," Chris said.

"How did you guys end up in here?" Sonic asked.

"I'm not really sure, Sonic," Tails answered. "I remembered flying on the Solar Wind, trying to get away from the Pest Catcher Brothers, and then the next thing I knew I was bound to these chains, trapped like a criminal! I haven't even done anything wrong!"

"Same thing happened to me!" Rouge said. "They stole my Emerald!"

"Ours too!" Cream said.

"What about you, Sonic? How did you get here?" Amy asked.

"Well, three words; Silver The Hedgehog," Sonic answered. "For some reason, we were fighting and then I got caught into a net of sticky situations, thanks to him!"

"You talking about me?" Another voice said.

"Huh?" The gang looked at their right. Silver was also chained next to him as prisoner! "Silver?" They proclaimed.

Silver jiggled in the cuffed chains. "What's going on?" He grunted, trying to break loose. "Why am I here too?! Eggman said to me that he was only trying to protect us..." He jerked in Sonic's direction. "From him! He said that Sonic is the Iblis Trigger and that he wanted to save our world from annihilation."

"And you believed him?" Sonic shook his head and snickered. "Wow! I thought Knuckles was gullible one!" He and the others laughed.

"Hey! I do not always fall for Eggman's tricks!" Knuckles barked.

"Wanna bet?" Rouge said.

"What is so funny?" Silver demanded.

"I'm sorry, Silver, but I can't believe you fell for his lies," Chris giggled.

"What do you mean?" Silver asked, confused.

Suddenly, there was a sound of the doors opening. "Someone's coming!" Cream said.

Eggman stepped into in the dungeon. The sound of his steps echoed. "Good day, my captive little prisoners. How are we doing today?" His henchmen followed him behind.

"YOU!" Everyone glowered.

"Come here, Eggman!" Sonic growled. "I want a piece of you!" He jerked in the chains.

"Please let us out!" Cream sobbed. "I beg of you!"

"As soon as I get out here, I'm gonna crack your egghead open with my hammer!" Amy added, fuming.

"Now, now," Eggman said. "Getting mad won't get you anywhere! You're stuck here forever!"

"Wanna bet?" Knuckles growled in vengeance. "I'm breaking us out of here, and then I'll pulverize you!" He pulled down the chains.

"Uh-uh!" Eggman said warningly, wagging his finger. "I wouldn't try that if I were you!" He pressed a button. The electronic frames released an electric shock on the red echidna who yelled out in agony.

"Knuckles!" The gang cried.

Knuckles bellowed in pain as the surge of electricity zapped through his body.

"Feel that? Hurts doesn't it?" Eggman crackled. "You see, the more you try to break free, the more painful the shock you'll receive when you try to escape! So why don't you just stick around and hang for a little bit. The dawning of a new age is finally here! The Eggman Era!" He laughed malevolently. Bokkun and the robots behind him laughed along. "Silence!" Eggman snapped to his henchmen. They silenced at once.

"Eggman, what is this?" Silver demanded. "I thought that you going to-"

"Help?" Eggman finished. "Yeah, about that, I lied! I had to say something to keep you from spoiling my plans! Thanks for stopping Sonic for me! Your reward; a lifetime membership of the Eggman Express!" He sniggered malevolently.

Silver gasped in shock. He realized he has been played for a fool! "Eggman, you tricked me!" He flared.

"Look who's catching on!" Sonic commented.

Eggman then grabbed Silver by the quills. "I don't know how did a puny little hedgehog like you figure out my plans or where'd you come from, but I do know this, Eggman Empire will rise up and I will rule the world!" He let go off Silver's quills and approached Sonic.

"Thanks to you, I finally got Sonic in my grasp!" Eggman grabbed Sonic by the ear. "After years of getting my butt kicked, the tables have finally been turned! Now you're at my mercy!" He sneered in Sonic's ear.

"What mercy?" Sonic gritted through his teeth. "I won't show you any mercy when I get out of here!"

"Ha ha ha! Said the trapped little hedgehog!" Eggman sneered. "Why don't you run your way out of here! Oh wait, you can't! This!" He pressed the button again. Sonic screamed in agony as he got electrocuted.

"Stop it!" Amy cried.

"Don't hurt him!" Tails uttered.

"You won't get away with this, Eggman!" Chris said.

"I think I just did, young Christopher!" The Doctor mocked. He leered at the young boy. "You should have stay at home with your mommy and daddy! And now look what you've got yourself in!"

"I swear to you, if you lay a finger on my cousin, I'll...I'll!" Chris tried to think of a threatening word.

"Yeah, right, brat!" Eggman retorted. He cupped his hand underneath the boy's chin. "Don't worry, Carter will be safe out of harm's way as long as you give me what I want!" Chris growled.

"You're an sick twisted maniacal fiend! You know that, doc?" Rouge said. "I never did like on your side!"

"How flattering, my dear Rouge," Eggman said darkly.

"Why are you doing this?" Amy asked. "Those people of the world haven't done a thing to you!"

"Why must you be so evil?" Cream added.

"It's the way of nature," Eggman sneered. "You pesky goody-goody vermin have ruined my plans for the last time! And now, it's payback time!" His glasses shafted in the dim light. The animals felt afraid.

"Stop it! Don't you understand what kind of the danger you're putting us in?" Silver out in warningly. "This airship will explode into a million pieces if you don't back down immediately. You've got to remove the Chaos Emeralds or the engines will fail! The ship will crash! You got to stop!" The robots were intimidated by his premonition words.

"Listen, Eggbrain!" Sonic added gravely. "He's speaking the truth! Nobody will be able to survive the accident, including yourself! Everyone will die and Iblis will be unleashed!"

"Enough!" Eggman rebuked. His back is turned. "This world is mine forever and you, my little pets, will be my first slaves!" He pointed to his prisoners who glared back at him. "I am the most powerful scientist in the world-no, scratch that, the UNIVERSE! I RULE ALL OF TIME AND SPACE AND ALL DIMENSIONS!" He cackled out loud at most villainous triumph. The henchbots laughed along too, happy that their boss had finally succeeded. "Didn't I tell you to be silent! It's just ME! ONLY ME!" Eggman snapped at his henchmen.

The robots ceased at once and stood position. "Yes, sir!" Decoe said.

"Sorry, sir!" Bocoe said.

"As you wish, sir!" Bokkun added.

Eggman cleared his throat and addressed to his prisoners. "So you all would be wise to remain on my 'good' side. Consider yourselves 'egg-secuted!' Get it?" His laughing shadow casted upon the trapped heroes.

Meanwhile, back at Thorndyke Palace, Robert received some updated news on the phone about the current crisis. "What?! When did this happened?" He said with worry. "They did what? Where are they now? What?! Oh no! Dang!" He banged the coffee table. "Well, tell those slacking soldiers to get there on the double and rescue them! Right, I'll be in touch!" He hung up. He looked distressed.

"What's the matter, Robert?" Chuck asked. "What's the circumstance?"

"The President informed that Sonic and his friends were already taken captive by the evil Eggman at his Eggship Carrier!" The human adults gasped. "According to sources, Chris has also been taken prisoner on ship along with Carter!" The parents gasped again.

"Not our son!" Nelson and Lindsay cried together.

"My darling baby is under the clutches of that wicked man!" Vanilla added, disquietly. "Can't somebody do something?"

"There have been reports about the Eggship traveling north of Helios Valley." Robert continued. "They said he's heading for his main base. No doubt he's planning to attempt to recreate the Iblis disaster to wipe out everything for his empire!"

"What should we do?" Karolyn put in. "If that hedgehog's prediction is correct, that airship could explode anytime today!"

"We have to take action!" Nelson said. He turned to Sam and his crew. "Can I count on you to rescue Sonic and my son from the airship before it's too late?"

Sam nodded. "Of course, speed's my last name! Looks like Sonic's got himself in a jam this time. He scratched our backs, now it's time to scratch his! Let's go team!" He rounded them up as they got into their race cars and sped off to the rescue. The Thorndyke family prayed for their loved ones' safety.

"Go off after Eggman at once and stop him at costs!" The President ordered. "We must rescue our friends from catastrophe! Sonic have saved our souls, now it's time to return the favor!"

"Yes sir!" The soldiers chorused. Topaz prayed for her partner and close friend's safe retrieval. The G.U.N. jets took off.

At the Eggship Carrier, Eggman was piloting on the way back to his base. Carter sat on the chair in the cockpit with him and the henchbots as their prisoner. Decoe and Bocoe were swabbing and polishing at the deck while Bokkun fetched some snacks for them. "Those idiots have wasted so much of my time!" Eggman grumbled. "I should have been there by now..."

Carter sighed in disheartenment. He gazed and rubbed his sun necklace with his fingers, wondering if he'll ever be alright. "I hope he doesn't find out my secret." He thought.

Back at the brig, the heroes hung there in the dark, bound to the electrical cuffs, and tried to figure out a plan to escape.

"Um, guys?" Amy spoke up. "I think I see a roach in room."

"Blegh!" Said Tails and the girls.

"Got a plan to get us out of here, Sonic?" Knuckles asked.

"I wish I do but we're it looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while," Sonic replied.

"But we've got to get out of here," Chris said. "Before this ship explodes."

"We need to remove those emeralds from the power engines," Sonic said.

"Yeah, if we weren't bound to these cuffs, it would have been a piece of cake!" Knuckles said.

"It's my fault that we're stuck here," Silver said. "I've shouldn't have believed Eggman's story. I'm sorry."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Silver," Sonic consoled. "The doctor's pretty tricky at times."

"If it makes you feel better, Knuckles always falls for Eggman's lies. At least now you've learned," Amy said.

"Shut up!" Knuckles snapped. "I do not fall for Eggman's tricks!"

"Don't worry, we'll get out of here somehow," Sonic promised Silver. "We just got to think of something."

"You know, I can't seem to get that hedgehog's warning out of my head!" Bocoe commented.

"Good! I'm glad it's not just me!" Decoe said. "Doctor, you don't think that his prediction will come true, do yo?"

"Balderdash!" Eggman replied. "I'm sure that puny little runt was just saying that just to get us off guard. Never buy the enemy's fables!"

"Including yours?" Bocoe made a comeback.

"Yes!" Eggman muttered.

"You know, I once saw a movie about a guy who predicted that an airline was explode into a million pieces, but no one would listen to him." Bokkun said. "And you know what happen? The plane did exploded! KA-BOOM! Into a million pieces!"

"Don't think about it, fools!" Eggman said. "Nothing will ever happen!"

Suddenly, the alarm went off. The red light flashed throughout the entire ship, including the prisoners who gasped in alarm. The robots looked up in alarm. "What's happening?" They exclaimed together.

"What's with the alarm?" Bokkun asked.

Eggman keyed on the control panel. "It's nothing to worry about!" He said. "Probably just turbulence!" Suddenly, the panel malfunctioned and set off electric sparks as a sign of out of order. "What?! The controls aren't responding! How?!" He shouted with his hands on his head. "Why is this happening?! We're going down!"

"What do you mean, Eggman?" Carter piped up. Panic filled his heart as he pressed into his seat.

"The Chaos Emeralds' powers must be overloading the Eggship!" Eggman said. "It must have not been built to withstand this much excessive energy!"

"That's what the silver hedgehog was trying to tell us!" Decoe said.

"You don't have to remind me!" Eggman snapped. "I know tha-aaaaaaah!" The Eggship abruptly jolted up and down, knocking everyone off guard. Carter exclaimed in alarm.

Then there was power outage. Everyone at the brig felt the jounce, they wondered what was going on.

"What was that?" Amy asked.

"A turbulence?" Rouge asked.

"Oh no!" Silver said.

"Is the plane going down?" Cream asked.

The power went haywire, shutting off the electrical restraint.

"Come on! Now's our chance!" Sonic said. He broke loose and freed all the others by spin saw. They rubbed their wrists and ankles.

"Finally!" They said.

Sonic rubbed himself. "We've got to get out of-waaahhh!" The airship rocked again, throwing everybody off their feet. They screamed as they ebbed through another area. They slammed into the wall, groaning in pain. At the cockpit, Eggman and the henchmen were also lobbed across and hit the control panel. Carter fell off his chair. His treasure box containing the Gem of Wonder rolled from somewhere and laid there on the floor. The jewel was outside its box. Everyone laid there, crippled in pain.

Outside, the Eggship shook strangely and began to fall apart. The Speed Team and the news helicopters saw it in horror. Jets soared around the the crumbling battleship.

"Holy cow!" Scarlet exclaimed. "Are you getting all this? Eggman's ship just burst into embers! Are Sonic and his friends alright in there?! Let's pray for it!" The people in Station Square watched in suspense from the large television in public. Every single person in the world was watching the exhilarating event, imploring with every bone in their bodies for Sonic's safe return.

Sam ran on full throttle, accelerating ahead of his members. "Come on..." He muttered. He was sweating inside his helmet.

"We've got to save them!" His female partner said.

The news helicopter kept fluttering over the scene, recording everything of it.

As soon as he regained consciousness, Carter crawled up to his box and the Gem of Wonder and secured it safely in his hands. "My treasure!" He said. He then got up and exited the cockpit.

"Doctor, the kid's getting away with your Gem of Wonder!" Decoe said.

"Forget about him!" Eggman said. "Let's just get the heck out of here!" He and his panting henchmen evacuated the cockpit, searching for an exit.

The gang recollected themselves and slowly got up to their feet. "What just happened here?" Amy asked, rubbing her side.

"I think we're going down!" Knuckles said.

"You think?" Silver said.

"That's not good!" Sonic said.

"I've got to find Carter!" Chris said. He ran off.

"Chris! Wait!" Sonic went after him but the last Pest Catcher stood right in front him. "Not you again!"

"There is no escape!" The robot said. It swung its net down. The animals battled the robot. "Silver! Go and search the ship for all seven Chaos Emeralds! And ask why later!" Sonic ordered.

"Ok!" Silver said. He took off to find the emeralds. Eggman climbed on a ladder. "Oh yeah?" He said as he vied for the emeralds.

"CARTER! Carter, where are you?!" Chris cried out. He frantically searched around the room for his missing cousin.

"I'm right here!" Carter answered from behind. Chris turned around. Carter was pacing toward him gripping on the rail, scared and clutching his precious treasure box. "About time!"

"Phew! I found you! You're okay?" Chris said, relieved. He grabbed his cousin's hand who got up.

"Do I look okay?" Carter replied snootily. "I've been dragged around by that smelly hairy fatso for so long I-"

"That's nice!" Chris interrupted. "Now let's get out of here!"

"Those four idiots abandoned me and took off!" Carter continued as he placed the box in his blue jacket. Chris took his hand and escorted him to safety.

Silver went to the main engine room and ripped out the emeralds from the electrical cords. Eggman was about to club him with a wrench from behind when because of the absence of the Chaos energy, lost power and tilted. Silver, Eggman, Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun tipped over to the wall once again. Bokkun landed first, then Bocoe squashed upon him, then Decoe, and then big ol' Eggman slammed onto his henchmen. Silver landed safely on his soft belly with the Chaos Emeralds in his arms. He then teleported, including them with him.

Back then, Sonic and his friends continued battling the Pest Catcher Brother until the large latch of the carrier opened up, sucking some things outside, including the red Pest Catcher, who got ran over by a sliding cabinet before falling out of there in pieces. The friends held on to dear life. Amy got blown away. "No!" She screamed. "HELP!"

Sonic grabbed her just in time. He used her hammer to pin down and hold on. "Hang on Amy!" Everybody, including Chris and Carter cringed on as they tried to prevent themselves from falling 150 feet in the air.

"Everyone just hold on!" Sonic shouted. "Where is Silver?"

"Here!" Silver returned. Eggman was also presented on his stomach. Most everyone was happy that he has the emeralds, their key to escape. But then, the airship shifted again, causing Silver to drop them. They rolled around as the turbulence grew worse. "Oh no! The Emeralds!" He shouted.

Sonic quickly grabbed one of the Chaos Emeralds. "Hurry, Sonic!" Amy cried.

"I'm trying!" Sonic ejaculated, fumbling with the Emerald.

Eggman also grabbed one of the Chaos Emeralds. "Hurry, Doctor!" The robots urged.

"Be quiet so I can concentrate!" Eggman said.

"SAY IT!" Everybody said together.

He and Sonic rose the Emeralds in the air, "CHAOS CON-" But neither of them got a chance to finish because the entire ship jolted violently, causing them to stumble to the floor. The Chaos Emeralds bounced. They screamed as everything around them literally fell apart.

Sam Speed raced down the region against time, trying to catch up with the blazing airship. Then suddenly, a large pieces of metal exploded from the crashing airship, flying everywhere, nearly hitting one of the G.U.N. jets and the news helicopter. Scarlet and the crew exclaimed in alarm. Sam gasped. One of the debris crash landed in front of the race car, causing Sam to panic and smash against it, preventing him from rescuing the heroes! The news helicopter had to swoop away from the falling debris. Scarlet screamed in alarm. "Drat, we lost the signal!" Said the cameraman.

The Eggship burst into huge flames as it's nearly down to the ground. One by one, everybody screamed as the white flash of the explosion eroded them. Death was coming to them! The Eggship crashed to the ground and exploded. Then there was a flash of light.

Sam groaned as he dragged himself out of his trashed car. He then threw his helmet down. He looked around and gasped. To his horror, the Eggship was in pieces and burning. Sam collapsed on his knees in sorrow. He had failed to rescue Sonic, his nephew, and the heroes! "No! NO! NOOOOO!" He screamed as his hands were on his head. Scarlet and the news crew were horrified that Sonic and co. were killed in the horrible airship incident. Scarlet was too utterly shock to speak a word on T.V.

When Robert and Nelson heard the tragic news, they gasped and dropped their glasses to the floor which shattered into pieces. Their faces were filled with bereavement and pain. Their hands were on their heads now as they are filled with grief. Their wives, Karolyn and Lindsay cried hysterically. The couples huddled together as they mourned for the losses of their sons. Grandpa Chuck was also horrified that his two grandsons are killed in the airship accident! "NO!" He blurted out. Vanilla buried her face into uncontrollable sobs as she too felt sorrow from the loss of her daughter. Ella dropped the bowl she was stirring and cried for the death of the heroes. Tanaka was struck by tragic news.

At the White House, the President received dreadful news about Rouge's death. He dropped the phone and choked out in woe and anguish from the tragic death of the heroes. The commander shook his head in sympathy, Topaz cried out loud for her friend. "ROUGE!" She would scream. She then collapsed in the commander's arms, grieving for her friend.

Every single soul in the entire planet wailed and mourned for the death of their favorite blue hero and his trusted brave sidekicks.

"I...I...I don't think I can describe this!" Scarlet choked out in bereavement. "But it looks like we're too late! Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends are pronounced dead today, killed while being taken hostage onboard! This is a sad day for Planet Earth! I repeat, Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends are gone in a tragic accident!" She too broke down into sobs.

Eggman's airship laid in ruins. Gigantic smoke emitted from the blazing wreckage. As Silver predicted, Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends are killed in the explosion, dead and gone...

Or are they...

**Don't worry, readers, they're not dead. The story's not over yet! Believe me, it's just beginning of Sonic's adventure. Trust me**

**Peace**


	16. A Strange New World

Deep in outer space, Sonic had successfully used Chaos Control to escape the explosion and now he and his friends were on their way to a new planet. Only problem was none of them had any idea of where they're going. It felt like a long time since they traveled through space until finally, they arrived on a strange and brand new world.

A portal opened up and out comes the heroes, Sonic, Knuckles, Cream, Cheese, Tails, Amy, Chris, Rouge, Carter, and Silver. They yelled as they fallen through the thick jungle trees, breaking and snagging off branches and leaves. Then they crash landed on the ground, in a dog pile. They groaned in pain.

Elsewhere, Eggman, Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun popped out of another portal and landed into muddy creek. Eggman groaned in pain too. "Oh...my head!" Decoe groaned.

"I think my motor oil's churned up!" Bocoe complained.

"I don't feel so good," Bokkun squeaked whiningly, clutching his tummy.

Slowly, Eggman rose his head from the dirt. "Well, this stinks." He mumbled.

The gang slowly recollected themselves and got on their feet, removing the twigs from themselves. Sonic helped Amy on her feet. "You okay, Amy?" He asked. Amy promptly grabbed Sonic and squeezed him. "Oh, Sonic! Thank you!" She squealed. "I thought we would apart from each other forever!"

"Relax, Amy, we're okay," Sonic said.

"Thank goodness! That was a close call!" Cream said.

"If you hadn't used Chaos Control in time, we would have been blown to pieces!" Tails said. Chris helped Carter up while Knuckles assisted Rouge. She looked at in admiration when he held her close. "Thanks for catching me, Knuckie Poo!" She giggled.

"Ugh!" He dropped her. "It was an accident!" He blurted out. "And stop calling me that!"

"Is everyone alright?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, we're okay!" Everyone except Carter agreed.

"I'm not!" The blue-haired brat complained. "Just look at my uniform! It's ruined! I'm going to sue the doctor when I get home!"

"Um, guys," Chris spoke up. "I hate to interrupt but I think there's something wrong with Silver." Silver was making stiff gagging noises as if he can't breathe.

"You okay, buddy?" Sonic asked. "Speak up, dude!" The slated hedgehog just continued to hawk as he clutched on his throat.

"He's trying to tell us something!" Chris said

"Is he hungry? Thirsty?" Cream guessed. Cheese chirped.

"Maybe his underwear's too tight?" Carter added. The gang glared at him because he said something stupid. Carter shrugged.

"Ah! I think he's choking!" Tails figured it out. Silver gagged out in affirmation. "Something must have gotten caught in his throat!"

"Somebody help him!" Chris said in concern.

Amy came to his aid, "I got this!" She grabbed the choking hedgehog from behind. "Hold on, Silver!" She began to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

Silver continued choking as she thrusted him. Tails, Chris, and Cream watch with concern, while Carter, Knuckles, and Rouge watch with anticipation. Sonic stared at Amy "hugging" Silver.

With one last thrust, Silver finally coughed out a large round nut. (It must have got into his mouth when they were falling through the trees.) It fired out through the jungle like a bullet.

Eggman was recovering from the transport, grumbling about how he failed once again. The robots tried to remove the dirt from their end effecters. The nut Silver was choking on, hit Eggman on the head, knocking him unconscious. "Mommy...ugh!" He mumbled. He keeled over Bokkun who tried to fled. "OH NO! NOT AGAIN!" He screamed as Eggman landed on top him.

Silver coughed. "Phew! Thanks, Amy!" He breathed.

"No problem, Silver!" Amy replied.

"Now, back to the elephant in the room," Tails said. "Where exactly are we?"

The gang looked around. "You got me there." They commented.

Cream looked around. "What elephant?" She asked. "I don't see any elephant."

"No, Cream, it's an expression," Knuckles explained. "It means we could be in deep trouble!"

"Oh..." Cream understood.

"We're not gonna find answers by standing around," Sonic said. "Let's look around, but let's stick together since this place is so new to us and we don't want to get lost."

So, Sonic and the heroes strolled through the exotic strange rainforest. Half of them were getting goosebumps from the place they've never seen before.

"Have you ever seen a jungle like this before?" Cream said. "It's so different from home!"

"Yeah, it's like we're in some lost world, a place we've never been before," Knuckles said.

"I hope I don't catch malaria," Rouge said.

Suddenly, Sonic and the gang stopped and gaped in wonder. To their view, they're in some kind of mythical alien land with instead of the sun, there is a planet brightening the different colored sky. They were amazed by it. "Guys," Sonic suddenly spoke up. "I've got the feeling we're not in Solaropolis anymore." The gang gasped in wonder.

"I think we're in some lost world!" Chris said.

Hey, wait!" Carter spoke up. "We were suppose to perish on Eggman's airship when it exploded, right? But we cheated death by Chaos Control. Does that mean Iblis is attacking the Earth as we speak?"

The gang looked at each other scared. "That's means we've failed!" Silver ejaculated. "We failed to save our world!" The gang muttered in suspense.

"Now hold on, guys," Sonic stepped in. "Before you guys get all crazy, there's still a fighting chance. Silver said that Iblis would rise up when all seven Chaos Emeralds clash together during the explosion, right?"

"Yeah," everyone agreed.

"But I used Chaos Control to get us here, so usually when that happens, all the other emeralds scattered around the world. I think they've been transported in this world with us and now hidden somewhere." Sonic illuminated. "So it's not over. Iblis isn't born yet. We just have to find them all again so we get back home." He walked around the jungle creek. The gang followed him on the riverside.

_So that was Chaos Control, _Silver thought.

"And how exactly do you expect to find them, Einstein?" Knuckles inquired. "We don't have any compass, let alone a Chaos radar to track in this middle-of-nowhere trap!"

"Knuckles is right, Sonic," Tail said. "We have no idea where we are or what's it like here. Without the X-Tornado, it'll be like finding 7 needles in a haystack."

"Ohhh..." Sonic regarded. The gang are indeed at a loss. They're stranded in a bizarre unidentified planet between two Earth and Sonic's world.

* * *

Later at nightfall, the gang decided to call in a night in a grove. A campfire crackled, brightening the trees and warming the marooned friends.

"Anybody up for a chat?" Amy spoke up.

"This bites!" Carter commented.

"Stop complaining!" Knuckles rebutted. "You think we're tickled to death to be here? I'm supposed to be guarding the Master Emerald but nooooo, I had to be dragged here in this jungle fever nightmare! And it's all Sonic's fault!" He eyed accusingly at the blue hedgehog.

"I beg your pardon?" Sonic stood up, facing the echidna. "You should be thankful I saved our skins! You would have been a million pieces of it weren't for me!" The red & blue glared at each other.

"All right, break it up, you two!" Amy interposed. "Let's be thankful that we survived." Sonic and Knuckles turned their backs from each other. "Hmph!" Sometimes, they don't see eye to eye.

"Hey Silver, are you okay?" Chris asked his friend. "You haven't said a word all day."

"Hmm..." Silver mumbled.

"Do you want to talk about?" Tails put in.

"I'm fine," Silver said listlessly.

"Are you sure?" Tails asked. "Usually talking about it helps. If you need to, I'll be right here. I'll listen to-"

"I said I'm fine! Will you please just drop it?" Silver shouted in irritation and stood up.

Everyone was startled by his reaction. "Who put ticks in your boots?" Rouge spoke up. Tails was taken back, hurt. "Sorry, Silver, I didn't mean to make you mad."

"No, I'm sorry, Tails," Silver said, rubbing the fox's shoulder. "I didn't mean to bite your head off. I've just alot on my mind. I'm going to step out for a little bit if you don't mind." He walked out to have a moment alone. The gang watched him go.

"Poor guy," Amy said.

"I'm hungry," Carter informed. "Make yourself useful and find me some food."

"No can do, Your Majesty," Knuckles retorted. "I'm too busy here. Besides, you can get your lazy behind some berries yourself."

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Carter sassed, standing up. "Didn't your mother ever teach you any courtesy? Hmph!" He folded arms. "Someone like you wouldn't know dignity if it crawled up and bit you on the-"

"You DON'T wanna finish that sentence, pal!" Knuckles growled angrily. His face met closely Carter's face. They both snarled as sparks flew.

"What are you gonna do, long nose? Bite me?" Carter replied.

"You're asking for it, twerp!" Knuckles snapped.

"Wanna take this somewhere, hothead?"

"It'll be my pleasure!" Knuckles presented his spiked fist.

"Cool it, you two!" Amy stepped in.

"Stay out of this!" The boys chorused. She backed off.

Rouge was filing her nails. "Losing your touch, pretty girl?" She asked.

Amy turned her back, "well, at least I don't waste time looking myself in a mirror all day long and think about jewels to steal."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rouge responded offendedly, getting up. "Are you saying I'm not useful?"

"You said it, not me!" Amy retorted.

"FYI, I'm government spy agent!" Rouge rebuked, standing in akimbo.

"For all the wrong reasons! You're nothing but a diamond thief!"

"Well, that's it! Come on, toots!" Rouge growled, bringing out her sharp nails.

"Bring it on, sister!" Amy challenged. She bought out her hammer. The girls started hissing each other.

Cream cuddled Cheese to her heart. "Don't you just hate it when people fight?" She said. Cheese chirped in agreement.

"You're right, Cheese," Cream replied. "We should-" She felt a breeze behind her. "Do you mind, Tails? I'm trying to think!"

Tails was fanning the campfire with his twin bushy tails. "Well, I'm trying to be supportive, unlike you, Miss I-Rather-Spend-My-Time-Picking-Flowers-And-Pet-Cha o-Hanging!"

"Don't you talk about my friend like that!" Cream remarked, irksomely. "Chaos have feelings too! Apologize to Cheese right now!" She held out her hurt Chao.

"Not if you apologize first!" Tails retorted.

Half of the gang were now arguing with each other

"You guys are useless!" Carter yelled out.

"You know what? You're worst than the bat!" Knuckles snapped.

"Everybody be quiet!" Chris commanded.

"BUTT OUT, CHRIS!" Everyone shouted.

Chris gasped in shock. His face redden with vexation. "YOU GUYS ARE DRIVING ME NUTS!" He bellowed. Now everybody's bickering.

Sonic had never seen friends argue like this before. "Boy, when you're in situations like this, people get at each other's throats. You probably would be like this too if you're stranded in a strange world." He got up and stepped out of the cave. "I'm gonna step out for some fresh air. As Sonic went out, everyone continued to bicker.

Sonic stretched his legs and arms. He then hopped onto one tree branch to the other. He swung and did a somersault on a branch and shot himself up over and above the tropical trees. He landed and stood on the thick top. He gazed at the night sky which is very unusual. The moon looked more like a planet. The stars are little bigger than usual. There's also a band of white colored stars streaming across the dark violet sky. It's like they're closed to outer space. Sonic whistled. "It looks so different from Planet Earth," he said. "Except it gives you the same feeling inside of you; home." He then found Silver sitting out on a tree top, staring at the sky. Sonic scooted to join him. Silver seemed to have something on his mind.

"Hey there, Buddy." Sonic greeted. "Mind if I accompany you?"

"Hey, Sonic," Silver replied. Sonic sat next to him.

"Nice night, isn't it?" Sonic aspired to make conversation.

"Forgive me for asking but has it always been like this?" Silver asked. "Even back at home, there's always diamonds in the sky and that big glowing orb shining in your sky?"

"You mean the stars and the moon? Yeah, pretty much, why?"

"No reason. It's just it's so...peaceful and calm. To be honest, I've never actually seen the sky so clear."

"Really? You've never actually seen the moon? Even when it's a different kind?"

Silver slowly shook his head. Sonic sensed that something is bothering him. "Look, I don't mean to be nosy, but you look like you got the weight on your shoulders." He said. "It might help to get it off your chest if you talk to me, not that I'm trying to force you."

Silver looked at him and opened his mouth, but no word came out. "It's okay, Silver. You don't have to keep secrets anymore. I'm your friend. You can confide in me anything. Anything." Sonic encouraged.

Silver took a deep breath. "I'm not from here," he mumbled.

"What?"

"I'm from another place."

"Where?"

"Actually, it's more like when I from. I knew about those things, the Iblis disaster and everything, is because I...I traveled 200 years from now in the different timeline. You see, I'm from the future."

"The future?"

"Yeah, I travelled here to eliminate the predestinated disaster, hoping to cancel out the ruination it will cause to my world."

"And you can't defeat it in your timeline?"

Silver shook his head. "Iblis is an immortal demon that we truly cannot defeat. It..." He hesitated.

"What, Silver? What happened?"

"It's not a pretty story, but I'll try you. Back in my early timeline, when Iblis reawakened from the aircraft wreckage, it extinguished everything it touched the minute it was reborn. It torched away everything in everywhere in my world in a blink of an eye! It destroyed towns, cities, countries, mountains, even the islands!"

Sonic was disturbed by his story.

"Every single military force unit failed to vanquish that beast. The heroes were gone. Half of the population had fallen prey to that devil! It even took my parents!" He began to feel pain and rage.

Sonic felt it too. "That's horrible!" He said.

"That fiery demon, Iblis has been the scourge of our planet for eons!" Silver continued. "Living in my world was like living in a nightmare that we truly cannot wake up! People were helpless, there was nothing they could do, except run and hide. But it's not just Iblis terrorizing the world. His vicious pets called Iblis Minions excruciated the citizens of Earth, doing their master's dirty work! Me and my friends, Dodger, Fuchsia, Rex, Felix, Tiny, and Israel fought bravely to protect the survivors against the evil creatures. But we proved to be no match for invincible Iblis! He's just too powerful and the only thing he does is kill and annihilate!" He rose his fist. "Those poor innocent people living in fear, not knowing what to do, and the children suffering...ARGH! I CAN'T STAND IT!" He slammed his fist onto the top. "There was nothing we could do! That's why I came to the past, to erase Iblis for good! But now, I...I just don't know what to do anymore!" He sat there, slumped in despair.

Sonic looked at him in pity. "Silver, I...I had no idea." He said sadly. "I'm so sorry." Silver remained silent. Sonic thought for a moment. He must help his friend save his future because it's his future too. "Hey, hey, look at me," Sonic said. Silver looked at him. "I'll help you change your future!" Sonic volunteered.

"You will?" Silver replied.

"Sure, you scratched my back and now I'll scratch your back! I owe you big time!" Sonic said.

"But I...I attacked you! Besides, why would you want to help a stranger like me?"

"Hey, I'd be desperate too, even by all means strike! You help us get back home and stomp Eggman and I'll help you rewrite history and erase Iblis forever, deal?" Sonic held out his hand. Silver looked at him and thought for a moment. He then took Sonic's hand. "Deal." The hedgehogs shook hands of alliance.

"Now, let's go tell the others," Sonic said on his way down.

"Um, something tells me they already know," Silver pointed down. Sonic looked down. A group of their friends were hanging from branches, eavesdropping their conversation.

"Guys?" Sonic said.

"Hey, Sonic and Silver," Tails said. "We weren't doing anything!"

"We were just hanging around!" Amy said.

"We certainly didn't hear anything from your conversation," Knuckles added.

"Nothing at all!" Rouge added. "Right, guys?" "Yeah!" Chris and Carter nodded.

"Are you really from the future, Mr. Silver?" Cream piped up.

Silver nodded. "Yes, I am!"

"No way!" Amy exclaimed.

"The future?" Tails said in amazement.

"200 years?" Carter added.

"Get out of here!" Knuckles said.

"That explains everything!" Chris said.

"How enchanting!" Rouge said. "I knew there was something techno-poppish about you."

"Yep, I used an outdated time machine to transverse here in the past to rehabilitate my timeline." Silver said.

"That's incredible Silver!" Chris added. "I'd never knew you were a time traveler! Wow, just imagine traveling from the future to the past! Think I could try that?"

"Actually, it's kind of dangerous, Chris," Silver said. "In fact, I shouldn't even be doing this because it'll change the future. But it's the only way to save our world!"

Bokkun was nearby, gathering berries when he overheard the conversation. "Hmm?" He peered closer to hear more.

"So Iblis was attacking your time period!" Amy said.

"Yeah!"

"You poor baby!" Rouge said in sympathy.

"How awful!" Cream added. "We definitely got to do something!"

"Yeah!" Tails agreed.

"And we will," Sonic vowed. "We'll find all seven Chaos Emeralds, conduct Chaos Control, and bring ourselves back home again. Then we can solve this Iblis crisis for good!"

"Yeah!" Everyone agreed. Silver felt secured.

"Now hold on just a minute!" Knuckles objected. "How do we know that Silver is really from the future? This isn't some elaborate trick you're pulling, is it, kid?" Silver was a little surprised by his accusation.

Bokkun gasped in amazement. "That hedgehog's from the future!" He whispered. "No wonder he knew everything! The doctor will like this!" He flew off.

"Come off it, Knuckles," Sonic said, placing his hand on Silver's shoulder. "If Silver says he's from the future, then that's good enough for me! Either way, we got to go back to our world and save it!" He winked at Silver whom he excepted it.

The gang began to climb down when suddenly, Silver slipped. "Whoa!" He bumped everyone down to the ground, bringing all the leaves and stuff with them.

"Whoa! That was fall!" Chris said.

"I always liked to drop in on things!" Rouge said.

"I'm always at the bottom!" Knuckles said when Carter and Cream are sitting on him.

"Uh, Sonic," Amy said, pointing. "I think you got something in your nose!"

"Oh really?" Sonic said, revealing two smooth leaves under his nose like a green mustache. "Hey, guys, who am I?" He heaved up his round belly and did an silly imitation of Eggman. "'HO HO HO! Greetings, world! I am the great Dr. Eggman and I'll be taking over your world, if that's a problem with you! Those who resist me will get roll over by my fat round body and sat upon! HO HO HO!'" He curled his green "mustache.

The gang guffawed. "That's Dr. Eggman!" Cream giggled.

"Nice one, Sonic!" Tails laughed. Knuckles smirked in amusement. "Heh!" Carter shook his head in laughter.

"That's Eggy Nosehair, alright!" Rouge giggled.

"Somebody give him a nose trimmer!" Amy said.

"Actually, he needs a hedge clipper!" Chris added. Everyone bursted out in laughter.

When Silver observed his smiling friends, a bug of a warm tickling feeling caught to him. For the first time ever, he cracked a smile and chuckled lightly. His friends stared at him.

"Hey, that's the first time I've seen you smile, Silver!" Sonic said.

"Pardon me?" Silver said, still smiling.

"About time," Amy added. "I was beginning to think you are one serious guy!"

"Just like a certain red guy," Rouge said.

"Hey! What does that supposed to mean?" Knuckles barked up annoyed.

"Yeah, you're smiling, Silver," Chris said.

"Wow! I must have been living in darkness for a so long, I've forgotten what's it like to be happy," Silver admitted. "Until now, I didn't even know how to smile." His friends looked at him in pity.

"Don't worry, Silver," Sonic consoled him. "We help you save your future. We gonna find our way back home!"

"Yeah!" Everyone agreed.

"Thank you, guys," Silver said.

"I still think Silver's story is baloney," Knuckles said. "But I'll still help out but only because I have to get back to Angel Island!"

Everyone laughed while Bokkun informed Dr. Eggman about Silver. The doctor was surprised at first and then grinned as he devised a hideous plan to recapture Sonic and take their Chaos Emeralds. He then snatched the last marshmallow on the stick, Decoe and Bocoe were fighting over.

_I've never felt like this before, _Silver thought out. _But for the first time ever, I see a bouncing globe of ardent light that made me feel safe and guarantied. Israel said to me that everyday is a gift. Sonic had presented me something far more powerful and vigorous than anything in the entire history of the universe, Hope. And for that, I believed in him. I believed in my newfound friends. No matter what it takes, I will change the future and I will save our world!_


	17. The World Mourns Sonic's Death

Meanwhile back on Earth, rain poured down the city of Solaropolis. Everybody was still mourning Sonic and friends' "death". They are unaware that their heroes are still alive on a different planet. All the citizens of the sad golden city gathered around at the city square for the funeral service. Chuck, Nelson, Lindsay, Ella, Tanaka, and Vanilla were sitting on the chairs, dressed in black. Lindsay sobbed as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief. The Speed Team including Sam Speed were also present, mourning their speedy ally. Sam not only grieved for his nephew but his fast rival and dear friend, Sonic.

Robert was on the plateau, about to give his speech. Karolyn in the black dress and sobbing, was there with him. "My brothers and sisters," he sermonized. "It has to come to me that the hour of dolor has casted upon its shadow on us. The time has come too soon to say good-bye..."

At the White House, the people also mourned for their heroes' death as the President also giving the memorial speech. It also rained there. The heavens are crying too. "My fellow citizens," he said. "The pain of loss of our bravest heroes has weighed me down. When they first came to our planet, we at first assumed that they were aliens. Then we welcomed them in our homes as our allies and neighbors. And now their living here on Earth has cut tragically short. We will never forget their sacrifice!" He pointed to a large object covered by a big sheet. A secretary pulled it off, revealing a memorial statue of Sonic the Hedgehog and the torch of an eternal flame symbolizing the fallen heroes. Numerous people approached it and placed bouquets and tributary objects around it.

"Sonic The Hedgehog was our most famous and beloved hero and everyone's favorite idol. He helped fend off against evil especially the conniving Dr. Eggman and protected the innocents at the speed of sound!" The President continued. "His sidekick Miles 'Tails' Prowler was ace jack mechanic and an engineering genius who saved the city by deactivating the missile half a year ago." His black suited bodyguards lined up straight in position. One was so bereaved by the losses of Sonic that he too cried and broke out tears through his sunglasses. His comrade comforted him.

At G.U.N. Headquarters, all the soldiers and members lined up in position, mourning the fallen spy agent, Rouge The Bat. Agent Topaz placed a bouquet of roses on top of her partner's coffin. Tears shed from her eyes and dripped on the roses. Topaz cried as she and the soldiers saluted as tribute of Rouge's memory.

"Rouge The Bat was our most gifted and serviceable member of our military organization, she was not only beautiful and sneaky, but a great comrade to us soldiers!"

At Station Square, black limos were cruising by as memorial service to the heroes. The people and children cried. The policemen in positions were also very sad, including their German Shepard who whined in sorrow.

"Amy Rose was what you could say Sonic's sweetheart and the definition of girl power! Cream the Rabbit was the most kindhearted and peaceful rabbit who always spreads her happiness around! Her little friend Cheese the Chao was what you could say a bundle of joy!"

Back at the elementary school, the Mr. Stewart and the kids at summer camp, mourned for the heroes' death too. Helen, Frances, and Danny cried for their best friend's passing. Even, Mr. Stewart shed tears for his favorite students and the heroes.

"And who could forget Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian of Angel Island and the most strongest fighters in the world!"

Every worldwide nation mourned Sonic's death, the Muslims who bowed in respect, the Japanese people who sailed little mini boats with lanterns on them, even the poor homeless people, including Jerome Wise the ex-aide of the President, even though he blamed Sonic for costing him his job. The troubled youths even sprayed graffiti on the walls in honor of their fallen blue hero.

"My son and nephew, Carter and Christopher Thorndyke were such great boys, that they didn't deserve to die like that!" Robert announced. He tried to hold back tears, clutching his necklace. "Our hearts will always be with them forever. May our eternal sun watch over them in heaven!" He concluded his sermon. He rubbed his sun emblem in sadness.

"There you have it folks, the Sonic Memorial Service, live in Solaropolis," Scarlet said. "This is Scarlet Garcia...signing off!" She too broke out in tears. Her cameraman comforted her.

After the funeral ended, everyone retired to mourn some more. The speed team left to their posts. Sam, all depressed, walked slowly in the rain to his car. He didn't bother to turn on the ignition. He just sat there, leaning on the steering wheel and bleeding.

Returning from the funeral, the Thorndykes settled in the second floor living room. The servants were trying to console the grieving family. Robert and Karolyn sat together on the couch, still grieving for their son's loss. Then, they look at their guests in anxiety, like they're keeping something like a dark secret.

"Robert?" Karolyn whispered to her husband.

"What, Karolyn?" Robert replied.

She eyed on the people to make sure they're not overhearing. "Should we warn them about what's going to happen next? You know, the real truth about...Iblis?"

Robert looked at her like she's crazy. "Karolyn..." He whispered back.

"These people, our family, your brother and father...they may all in be grave danger. We're in grave danger!"

"Karolyn, no!" Robert refused.

"But Robert..."

"Sshh!" He hissed, attempting to keep their conversation low. But Tanaka peered over there and sensed that something is up.

"Listen to me, honey!" Robert whispered harshly. "We just lost our only son! Nelson and Lindsay lost theirs! Vanilla lost her daughter! The world's greatest heroes are gone! We don't need to make things worse for them or anyone else!" Karolyn remained silent. "They mustn't know about this! You know that!" Robert said in a soft firm voice. The sad couple huddled together in comfort. Tanaka eyed at them suspiciously. They are definitely keeping a deep dark secret that no one not even their family knew about.

Chuck, although devastated by the loss of his grandsons, was in deep thinking. "You know, I can't help but feel that maybe that Sonic, Chris, and his friend didn't die but just got transported into another dimension by accident!" He said. "So maybe and hopefully, they're alive somewhere."

"Dad, that was an airship crash! Not Chaos Control!" Nelson replied, eyes glossy from salty water. "Chaos Control will only transport you somewhere else. A plane crash...well, who could ever survive a horrible accident like that?"

Chuck absorbed his son's words and said nothing else. Nelson closed his eyes and turned his head away in sorrow as tears rolled down on his face. Lindsay held him close as she sobbed some more. He held on to her. Together, they mourned their son's death.

Chuck exited the living room and entered the balcony. The rain had stopped. The full moon shone across the gloomy starry night. He gazed at it and wondered.

_Oh, Chris. My dear beloved grandson, where have you gone now?_ He thought. _And Sonic, you were a good friend to him, to me, to everyone on Earth. My brave little soldiers...I know you are out there alive somewhere...I just know it! I hope you are. Wherever you are, be wise and careful. _He betted his life on a prayer that Chris, Sonic, and the gang will return someday...

**Sad isn't it? But rest assured that this story will have an happy ending! I promise you that there will not be any cliffhangers. I had the story all planned out since before I even created an account.**

**For bearvalley or werewolf lover or who however you are, you should make your own account here at FanFiction and write your own stories about your characters Noah Thompson Panda and gorilla character instead of having others do it for you. Just a suggestion. **

**Also, you'll see Silver's future friends again later in the chapters and the Babylon Rogues will be coming soon. So stay tuned.**

**Peace**


	18. A Brand New Adventure

Back in the strange unknown world, morning had come. The planet sun rose up and shone through the jungle trees. Sonic and friends, alive and homebound, were huddled up together asleep in the grove. A drop of morning dew fell from the tropical trees and landed on Sonic's nose. That woke Sonic up. He yawned and stretched. "That was a good night's sleep." He said. "Wake up, guys. We gotta move."

The friends stirred up. "Five more minutes, Ella," Chris muttered.

"Thanks for the date, Sonic," Amy mumbled. The gang mumbled as they woke up, rubbing their eyes and yawning.

"What a beautiful day," Chris said, rubbing his carrot top head.

Carter gazed at his rainbow Gem of Wonder. "My gem is still safe," he said. "Good." Rouge peered over his shoulder. "What a pretty gem," she said. "Mind if I see it?"

Carter shut the box close and pulled it away. "Absolutely not!" He claimed. "I know what you're going to do, batty thief!" He turned away.

"Well!" Rouge exasperated, putting her hands on her hips. "That rich kid could be able to afford some manners!" Carter placed his box back in his uniform.

"Come on, guys! Let's go!" Sonic said. "A brand new adventure awaits us!" He encouraged to follow along.

"Must we?" Amy asked unsurely. "Can't we rest a little longer?"

"No time for that Amy," Sonic said. "Our world is at stake! Who knows what kind of evil plot Eggman's cooking up?" So he and his friends exited the grove. What they discovered is that the mystical jungle looked amazing than ever. The vines and trees were sparkling. "Wow!" They exclaimed.

"I have to admit, this place looks awesome!" Chris said.

"It's like being in a story book!" Cream said.

"Except I hope that there aren't any dragons or monsters!" Tails said.

"But there might be wild animals," Amy said. "So you better watch out!" She pretended to bite Tails. "Hey, cut it out!" He protested.

"Come on, you guys!" Silver said. "Let's focus on the finding those Chaos Emeralds! I mean, they could be anywhere." While the group was wandering through the jungle, there is a Chaos Emerald located in a large bird's nest on top of the highest tree in the jungle.

On the other side, Eggman and his henchmen left their campsite and he angrily stomped through the exotic blue rainforest. The robots hiked through the jungle lands, already feeling sluggish. "Ohhhh...it's been five minutes and already my feet are killing me!" Decoe complained. "I wish we were back in the base," Bocoe moaned. "I'm dying for a nice motor oil bath! I've always hated nature!"

"Not me!" Bokkun piped up cheerfully. "I like this place! It has more freedom and less rules! We can do whatever we want without getting in trouble!"

"Be quiet! All of you!" Eggman snapped. "I almost had it! Those pipsqueaks ruined it all! When I find those rats, I'll-Hmm?" He heard some chatting nearby. He and the robots peeked behind the bushes. There he spotted the Sonic gang roaming around in the jungle. "It's...them!" Eggman spoke out in surprise.

"Sonic!" The robots pronounced.

"They're alive!" Bokkun added.

"You shouldn't be so surprise," Eggman said. "Sonic is practically unstoppable! Let's follow them." He stepped out of the bushes.

"Why?" Bocoe asked.

"Because, if they're trying to find their way back out of this world, they must be searching for Chaos Emeralds. If they're searching for them, they will save us the trouble of finding them."

"But we're trying to find our way back home too," Decoe said.

"Are we going to snatch the emeralds from them and use Chaos Control to escape this planet and abandoned them stranded here?" Bocoe suggested.

"No! We are going to recapture Sonic and his friends and the emeralds and use the same plan to conquer this world and the universe!" Eggman explained. "This time, and I mean THIS TIME no one will stop me!' He cackled.

"Great. Just one small problem, doc." Bokkun put in. "We didn't bring any technology and equipment with us. They all dissolved in the explosion, remember?"

The villains slumped in discouragement. "Oh yeah, I forgot," Eggman grumbled.

"Okay, guys," Sonic instructed. "If we're gonna get out of this mess, we're going to have to work together. We'll have to trust each other."

"Even little ol' me? The jewel thief?" Rouge inquired.

"Unfortunately, even you, Rouge," Sonic said. "So no monkey business."

"Who, me?" The bat fluttered around deviously. "Oh, boy," Knuckles muttered.

"I'm gonna keep a mile from you, guys, and pretend I don't know you if that's okay with you?" Carter said.

"Whatever." Sonic said. "Whoa!" He screeched to a halt. He looked below, it is a fifty four foot drop of the cliff. "Whoa that's pretty deep."

The gang looked down below. Knuckles whistled. "How big is this drop?" Tails asked.

"I don't want to find out the hard way," Carter said.

"We have to get across there," Amy said, pointing over to another land between the wide gap. There were a bunch of vines hanging over the gap from the large hollow tree.

"We can fly across there and then bring you guys back there one by one." Tails suggested.

"That's a good idea." Amy said.

"But that'll take a while." Sonic said.

"So what? You can wait a few minutes," Knuckles said.

Chris started to pace backwards. "Chris?" Sonic addressed him.

"Hey, you alright, bud?" Silver said.

"You're not scared, are you?" Knuckles added.

Chris retreated from here as if afraid of something.

"Chris?" Sonic called after him.

"Where are you going?" Silver asked.

"What a sissy!" Carter rebuked.

"I thought he was braver than that," Knuckles said in disappointment. The whole gang was disappointed too.

"Well, I can't say I blame him." Tails said. "It's because we're in a strange world. We'll just have to-huh?" Suddenly, Chris sprinted past him.

"Huh?" Everyone turned to his direction.

Chris panted and jogged all the way to the ditch!

"Chris!" Sonic cried out. "What are you doing?!"

"Stop! You'll get hurt!" Silver shouted.

But Chris launched greatly from the edge! Everyone gasped in shock. "Oh no!" "Help him!"

Chris soared through the air and quickly grabbed on to one of those vines, swinging. Sonic and co. watched with awe.

Chris did a Tarzan yell as he swung through the trees. "Whoo-hoo! Yee-haaawww! HA HA HA! YEAH!" He whooped loudly as he swung the vine to vine until he landed safely on the ground of the other side. As he sat on the ground, he guffawed in excitement. "That was great!" He ejaculated.

The gang were impressed. Carter was just shocked.

"Nice one, Chris!" Sonic bravoed. He gave him a thumbs up. "Amazing!" Silver said.

"Stupid!" Carter berated. "You could have been killed! I'm responsible for you, Chris!"

"Come on, guys!" Chris cheered. "It's safe!"

Sonic and the gang looked at each other in question and decided to take a chance. They ran, leaped, and grabbed the vines and started swinging around. "YAHOO!" Sonic hollowed. Knuckles grabbed Rouge and started to swing to the other side. Carter watched them go, unwilling to swing a vine. "This is crazy! You'll fall down! You'll break your necks! You'll slam into a tree!" He shouted.

Everybody landed on the other side next to Chris. "That was amazing!" Cream said.

"Awesome!" Tails said.

Carter was the last one standing, too scared to move. Eggman was behind him. "I'll get that kid and his Gem of Wonder!" He thought.

"Come on, Carter! Swing!" His cousin encouraged him.

Carter shook his head cowardly. "I can't do this!" He thought.

"CARTER! CARTER! CARTER!" The gang chanted.

Carter took a deep breath. "I'll hate myself for this!" He thought. He reluctantly leaped from edge and snagged on to one of the vines. He timidly swooshed around. "Ahhhhh! I want to get off! I want to get off!" He screamed as he gripped on.

"Swing, Carter! Swing!" Chris shouted. Carter tried to swing on the other vine but he fumbled over the vines and landed roughy in front of his friends. "Ouch!" He muttered, rubbing his behind. "All right, Carter!" The gang praised. Carter got up and looked at himself. "Aw, man! I'm all dirty!" He complained.

"That's part of the adventure, indoor boy," Chris said. "You'll get used to it." Carter dusted himself off as the gang walked along the rainforest.

Eggman was determined to catch them. He ran off to the cliff. "Doctor, no!" The robots cried. Eggman lunged greatly at the vine and grabbed hold of it, but he is quite too heavy to swing, let alone hang. So the vine snapped, Eggman screamed as he plunged into the rift. "DOCTOR!" The henchmen shouted.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Eggman's scream filled the entire rainforest. The gang were walking through the jungle when Sonic stopped and heard something. "You guys hear something?" He asked. "Nope. Uh-huh! " the gang replied and continued their trek.

Eggman descended who-knows-how many feet in the ravine until a giant bird grabbed him in its talons. The robots gasped. "Bye-bye!" Chirped Bokkun. The giant bird then dropped the fat man in its large nest. Eggman sat there with two large eggs beside him. "Well, isn't this just grand?" He growled. He then spotted something shining. "Huh?" He reached underneath the large egg and pulled out a shining gem. Eggman gasped in excitement. "Could it be...this is too good to be true! I've found a Chaos Emerald!" His glasses glistened from the sparkling emerald in the palm of his hand. "Don't worry, Doctor! We'll get you down!" Decoe called from below.

"Take your time," Eggman said, grinning for he might get a second chance after all.

The hero team explored the mystic extraterrestrial jungle. They awed in excitement and wonder. There were several different plants and flowers in various colors and sizes. Tails sniffed one and got his head sucked in the petals. He muffled "not again!" Sonic shook his head and Chris giggled at this. Amy and Cream spotted a bunch of small juicy ripe fruits and licked their lips. When Amy reached for them, they hatched! Out came tiny adorable peeping fuzzy ball creatures! The girls adored them. The fruits must have been their homes! Rouge held on to Knuckles' arm. Knuckles pulled it away in displeasure, although he was blushing. Then he stepped into a giant grape. His foot is covered in purple goo. They were in a grapevine ground. Knuckles and Rouge both exclaimed in disgust. Carter pointed and laughed at him. Then he stepped in one too and it squirted on his school uniform. Knuckles pointed and laughed back.

Eggman and henchmen managed to get away from the baby birds with their emerald. They escaped in the thick trees and lost them. Then they continued to trail the heroes. Down below, Amy hacked down a tree with her hammer to make a bridge to cross over the other side. Sonic and the others took turns on balancing on the log. They tried not to look down. When their turns came, Knuckles and Carter pushed and shoved each other for the first go. The friends watched in shock. The two skirmished with each other on the log until they fell overboard! The friends gasped in terror. Silver caught them with his ESP hold and navigated them on their side. Then hot-headed duo continued to quarrel, blindly slapping each other. The friends sighed in exasperation. Something told them that Carter and Knuckles aren't going to make a good pair. The villains ran up to them and jogged up the log. But Bocoe tripped and knocked his friends over, causing the log to break in two and fall into the river below. They splashed and drifted through the waters as a school of piranhas ganged up upon them.

The heroes roamed down the mysterious landscape. Wind blew in their optimistic faces. Knuckles and Carter locked their faces away from each other in disagreement as they don't see eye to eye! They heroes arrived at the crag. From their view, they gazed over the amazing plateau. It was quite different from Earth. A planet shone across the greenish sky, several new species of animals, rigged buttes, etc. The new creatures looked like prehistoric animals such as Iguanodons and little Composognathus. Sonic, Silver, and the pack hopped from the crag looked around. They were amazed by such a wildlife. Eggman and his men sprinted up to them, weary and cloth eaten by the piranhas. Eggman yanked the fish of his mustache and followed their enemies.

The gang looked around in wonder. Cream and Tails looked at the field of pretty flowers and started to pick them. Before they could touch them, the flowers blinked. The youngsters looked at them in curiosity. The flowers flew up in a swarms, revealing to be butterfly-like insects! Cream and Tails flew up with them. A group of crane-like birds were wading in the lake when Silver soared across the water, creating a wave to scare them away. As he hovered over the water, his reflection glanced back at him. Rouge flew by his side and winked at the silver hedgehog. Silver blushingly grinned back. Carter and Knuckles sat on a rock with their backs turned, still not speaking to each other. Chris shook his head in shame and sighed, translating "can't we all just get along?"

Then Sonic saw that a giant saber-toothed tiger was threatening a female moose-like animal and her calf. As usual, Sonic jumped in and came to the rescue. The saber cat lunged at its frightened prey when then out of sight, Sonic did a spin attack against the predator, breaking its sharp teeth. Sonic blew a raspberry and dared it to make a move. The saber cat ran away in fear with broken teeth. The hedgehog gave the saved animals a thumbs up. The moose brayed in gratitude. The friends were pleased. Sonic pet the calf in gratitude and took off. Eggman tried to catch up with them. Then from above, a huge wad of white gooey stuff dropped on him. Repulsed, Eggman looked up. A brontosaurus was munching on a tree. It was the one that drooled on him! Eggman screamed in repugnance. The robot bolted out in distaste. Bokkun played with the little creatures.

Sonic and Silver walked ahead of their friends in the gorge valley when suddenly, they came to a halt. In front of them, a trail of elephant-like creatures were treading through the another valley in a different direction. They were huge and scaly, but they looked pretty harmless. Excited, Sonic and Silver ran into the path of the herd. Concerned that they might get trampled on, their friends followed them. They gazed around in wonder. Eggman and his henchmen followed them as well. The heroes walked along side the elephant beasts, trying not to get trampled on. Sonic and Silver then climbed on to the biggest one of the herd. The friends looked up in surprise. The hedgehogs waved "get on them, it's okay!" The flyers lifted their friends on to the "elephants". Carter waved "what about me?". Then suddenly, the long nosed beast wrapped its trunk around the boy and placed him on its back. Carter squirmed when he felt that. The friends smiled at him proudly. When Carter realized that he is alive, he smiled and decided this isn't so bad. He rose his arms in air in excitement. The gang rode on in amusement. Sonic and Silver rode on the big leader's head. Eggman sprinted after them, avoiding the big feet. The villains grabbed onto one of the beast's long tail and clang on.

Soon, the heroes' ride came to an end when the herd arrived their nesting grounds. Sonic and Silver gasped as the big leader rose on its hind legs and bellowed so loud the whole planet heard. Its trunk lifted up and touched a cliff edge, giving the heroes a chance to travel there by detour. Sonic signaled his friends to come over and hurry. His friends hopped to one "elephant" to another, rushed on the big guy, over the trunk, and crossed over safely to the other side. By the time the last character got off, the gigantic "mammoth" heavily landed back on the ground on fours, so great it felt like the earth shook. Eggman and his henchmen fell off the tail from the immense tremor. As the big scaly animal's behind faced the villains, they screamed in horror.

The gang walked through the forest and decided to take a break. "Well, we've been traveling all over this heaven-forsaken world and so far, none of us have found a single Chaos Emerald," Rouge complained.

"I don't usually walk this much unless I'm in one of the biggest shopping centers," Amy said, rubbing her feet. "My feet feel like they're on fire!"

"My tails feel like they're gonna fall off soon," Tails complained.

"Do you think there's a hotel nearby?" Cream put in hopefully.

"Why would there be a hotel in this savage world?" Carter asked.

"I'm just asking," Cream said, petting her Chao.

"We got to keep looking," Sonic said. "We've only traversed a quarter of this land."

"We need to find those seven emeralds to get back home," Knuckles said. "Otherwise, the Master Emerald's vulnerable."

"Is that all you ever think about? The Master Emerald?" Rouge inquired. "Honestly." Knuckles shrugged.

"Hey, look over there!" Silver pointed to something. The gang looked at his direction. Over there is a large cave. "What is that?" Cream asked.

"Looks like an animal cave," Chris said.

"An animal cave?" Tails repeated.

"Maybe there's a Chaos Emerald in there," Sonic said. "Come on, let's check it out." He and the others entered the cave.

The gang walked the through the pitch dark tunnel. "It's too dark here," Sonic said. "I can't see where we're going."

"I don't even like the dark." Cream said. Cheese chirped.

"Don't worry, I got this." Silver spoke up. He used his psychic body to light the way. "How's this?"

"Much better, thanks Silver." Sonic gratified.

"No prob."

"You're quite handy, Silver," Chris said.

"Yeah, what would we do without you, kid?" Knuckles added. They continued to walk through the earthly tunnel.

"Is it just me or does something literally stinks nearby?" Rouge asked. The gang sniffed. "It wasn't me, I swear!" Knuckles said.

"Not me either, I'm a lady, you know," Amy said.

"I think that odor coming from over there," Chris said, pointing ahead. "It smells like we're in a pound."

"Maybe we should turn back," Tails said.

"What's the matter, Foxy?" Rouge asked. "Can't take a little adventure?"

Outside, voices could be from acoustics of the cave. Eggman and his henchmen caught sound of them. "Sonic..." Eggman growled.

"Hang tight, guys," Sonic advised. "As soon as we find something, we'll get out of here-whoa!" Sonic descended over a ditch. "Sonic!" Silver gasped. Then he too fell down. "Whoa!"

"Aah!" The rest of the group slipped down the earthy slope. When they opened their eyes, they gasped quietly. They are now located inside a den full of sleeping jackal-like beasts, huddled in packs. The canine creatures growled and snored loudly as they tossed over.

"Whoa man!" Sonic exclaimed softly.

"Sure a lot of them!" Silver whispered. They had to keep their voices down, they do not want to wake these strange creatures.

"What are those things?" Amy asked.

"I'm not sure," Chris answered. "They look just like coyotes or dingos or something."

"This is just like one of those wildlife documentaries that I once saw!" Carter said.

"Do you think they're friendly?" Tails asked. At that moment, one of the sleeping canines burped out a small skull, it clattered in front of Tails' feet. He gulped in dread.

"Does that answer your question?" Knuckles asked.

"Let's just get out of here." Carter said. The gang agreed.

"Hold on. Look over there!" Rouge pointed at something. In her direction, the biggest animal, probably the alpha leader, was sleeping on the top rock. Underneath his large paw is a glowing Chaos Emerald! The gang gasped.

"Eureka! That's a Chaos Emerald!" The gang quietly proclaimed together.

Outside, Eggman was listening on the ground through the stethoscope. "You hear that?" He asked his robots. "They found a Chaos Emerald!"

"Actually, no! We did not hear a thing!" Bokkun sassed back. "We don't have our own stethoscopes!"

"Well, this one's an addition to our collection!" Eggman said. "We'll be two emeralds ahead of those idiots!" He handed out a couple of shovels. "Start digging!" He ordered. "We'll sneak and snag it in the dark! They won't know what hit them!" The robots started digging.

"Guys, we need to get that Chaos Emerald!" Sonic said.

"Well duh, Blue Hog! But how exactly do we do that, genius?" Knuckles spoke up. "By simply walk over these things, wake the big guy, and then politely ask him for that Chaos Emerald? These things will tear us alive before we even stand a chance!"

"I don't wanna be eaten!" Cream said nervously. She clang on her Chao.

"Neither do I," Carter said.

"Well, I'm not leaving without that Chaos Emerald!" Rouge said.

"Me neither! Our world depends on it!" Silver added.

"But how will we obtain it without getting things messy?" Amy asked.

"Hold on, guys," Sonic said. "There has to be a way." He thought for a moment. He is formulating a sneak-and-grab plan. "I've got it." He snapped his fingers. "I have an idea."

Later, Sonic tied himself with a Carter's necktie. The necktie was tied with Carter's school jacket and Chris' long sleeve black and cyan shirt that he wears underneath his red and white tee shirt. Together, they formed into a rope.

"You owe me some new clothes, Sonic!" Carter said, folding his arms and shivering.

"That's really brilliant, Sonic!" Chris said.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Sonic?" Amy asked in concern. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"Don't worry Amy." Sonic assured. "I'll be fine! We're gonna get that Chaos Emerald. Right, Silver?"

"Right." Silver nodded.

"Please, be careful." Cream said.

"Watch your back!" Knuckles advised.

"Don't try anything stupid," Rouge said.

"Get that Chaos Emerald, Sonic!" Tails said.

"Will do. Ready?" Sonic said determinedly.

Silver clenched on the rope. "Let's do this!" His body glowed as he lifted himself up in the air with his telekinesis. He craned Sonic across the dark den like a helicopter with the load. Sonic and Silver took a deep breaths as they silently hovered over the sleeping dark colored coyotes. Silver had to be careful with his energy lights to avoid stirring the animals. They finally arrived at the alpha pack leader's rock. Silver quietly landed Sonic in front of it. Now all Sonic had to do was switch the rock underneath the big boy's paw for the Chaos Emerald. He took a deep breath as he got ready to touch the rock. The gang watched anxiously. The big beast yawned, showing his ugly dentures.

"Yuck, somebody's skipping his dental appointments!" Sonic blatted. He fanned his hand as if the beast's breath stink.

"Hurry up and switch it!" Silver whispered.

"Okay!" Sonic whispered. He began to reach for the shining gem again.

Above the gang, a hole was created on the ceiling. Decoe and Bocoe made it underground. An earth clad fell from the hole and hit Knuckles' foot! He was about to howl in pain when Rouge hastily silenced him. "Quiet, Knucklehead!" She hissed. "Are you trying to get us all killed?" Knuckles muffled in annoyance.

"Come on, Sonic! You can do this!" Chris said softly. The heroes were too focused in the suspense that they weren't aware that their enemy was inching on the ceiling and clinching on the straw for support, determined to steal their prize from the heroes. Bokkun was riding on Eggman's back.

Sonic anxiously closed in for the rock when then suddenly, the beast yawned and turned over. Sonic gasped quietly. The beast's paw lifted from Chaos Emerald, giving the blue hedgehog a chance to snatch it easily. Sonic dropped the rock and snagged that emerald, slick and good. He smiled and waved it in the air. The gang beamed in relief and satisfaction. Silver gave him a thumbs up. Sonic grinned and returned the thumbs up.

"Quickly, gentlemen," Eggman whispered. "Now's our chance to snatch that emerald!"

"But how do we do that, Doctor?" Bocoe asked, shrugging. That what made him fall! "Whoa!" He yelped.

The villains gasped. Luckily, Decoe caught his fidgeting friend in time. "Phew that was close!"

"Thanks, Decoe!" Bocoe breathed of air.

"No problem!" Decoe replied.

Eggman sighed in relief too. "Good work! Another second of that and we could have been done for."

Unfortunately, his mustache tickled Bokkun's noseless spot. "Aah...Aah.." The little imp began to sneeze.

"No don't!" The villain cried.

"AAAAAAA-CHHHHOOOOO!" Bokkun's loud sneeze echoed through the entire whole den. The villains gasped in fear. The heroes gasped in alarm. "Huh?"

"You hear that?" Sonic anxiously asked.

"Oh no!" Silver asked.

Not a second longer, the entire dark den is lightened with every single awakened animals eyes. The big alpha beast opened its big eyes and stared directly at Sonic!

Sonic chuckled nervously. "That's not good!" He said. His body reflected in the beast's yellow eyes. It growled as got up and faced the blue hedgehog. "Nice doggy!" Sonic tittered. Silver hovered back.

The other canines surrounded the friends and growled hungrily. "This is bad!" Chris said.

"Hey, take it easy, guys!" Tails keened. "Lighten up!"

"You really don't us, do you?" Amy whimpered. The animals continued to growl.

"I'm all skin and bones!" Carter said. "Eat Knuckles! He's got plenty of meat in him!"

"Oh that's real collaborative!" Knuckles snapped irksomely.

"Do you think bat is on their menu?" Rouge asked.

Cream hugged Cheese real tightly. "Don't worry, Cheese! I won't let them eat you!" Cheese wailed.

On the ceiling, Eggman grabbed Bokkun. "You moron!" Bokkun cried frighteningly. Then the villains fell to the ground. The other jackal creatures surrounded them as well. The robots whimpered. "I hope they don't like robot!" They cried.

"RUN!" Sonic shouted. He grabbed the floating Silver and ran away. The alpha beast chased after them. The others friends fled while the other creatures chased after them. Eggman and his henchmen also ran as the pack chased them too.

The gang ran out of the cave. The creatures chased them. "These guys are real fast!" Amy panted.

"Less talking, more running!" Rouge shouted.

As they fled, Eggman sped along.

"Eggman!" Sonic exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Can it, blue rat!" Eggman barked. "I'm in a hurry!" He and his robots sped ahead.

"They must have survive the blast too!" Knuckles said.

"Nobody will be able to survive if we don't run fast!" Carter shouted. The gang accelerated from the chasing animals. Eggman kept running until he slammed into a cliff wall. The others caught up. "Oh no! A dead end!" Amy cried. The others tried to climb up the smooth earthly wall. Everyone turned around and gasped in fear.

The growling canines approached and surrounded the trapped friends.

"We're trapped!" Carter said.

"They got us!" Rouge added.

"That's their hunting strategy," Chris said. "First they corner you like deer and then the pack leader steps in and makes the first kill."

"Really? Isn't that swell?" Sonic said sarcastically.

"Not if we fight back!" Knuckles declared boldly, putting up his fists. Amy brought out her hammer as preparation to defend her friends. "Get behind me," she said to Cream, Cheese, Tails, and Carter.

The pack leader inched a few steps forward to them. The robots quivered in fear. "This is the end for us!" Decoe announced.

"What a way to go!" Bocoe said.

"I hope they'll eat the doctor first!" Bokkun added. Eggman glared at him.

The alpha was about to pounce on its prey when suddenly, its ears perked up. It looked around. So did its other pack members. They must have sensed something. Strangely, they whimpered in fear and retreated without their prey meat. "Huh?" The gang wandered.

"They're...gone," Chris said.

"That's weird," Sonic added.

The friends sighed in relief and cheered.

"That's right! Run, you cowards! Don't mess with us!" Rouge jeered.

"And don't comeback!" Amy shouted, swinging her hammer.

"HA! Smart move, boys!" Eggman shouted. "You should never toy with the doctor!" The robots danced in joy. Bokkun threw a raspberry. Everyone except Knuckles celebrated their unexpected victory.

"What's the matter, Knuckles?" Silver asked. "We're okay now! Those things are gone!"

"Something's not right," Knuckles put in seriously. "Why would those things run away all of a sudden when they had a chance to attack? It doesn't make sense."

"So what? Maybe they realized that they couldn't take down us and decided to retreat." Silver suggested.

"I don't think so," Knuckles disagreed.

Suddenly, the whole forest shook like a earthquake! The gang gasped in alarm. "What's that?" Sonic asked. Then there were stomping noises and a loud deep growl coming from another direction. The group choked out in fright. "I hope that's your stomach, Dr. Eggman," Decoe commented.

Out from the trees emerged an enormous Tyrannosaurus Rex with a large comb on its head. It stared ravenously at its discovered meal. The group eyed horrorstruck at it and gulped. "S-S-S-Sonic!" Chris stammered.

"Holy cow!" Silver sputtered.

"My! What big teeth you have!" Sonic said timidly.

"The better to eat us!" Eggman shouted. "We're out of here!" He and his henchmen ran away.

"I guess that explains why the others ran away," Rouge said. The T-Rex roared loudly at the gang, blowing a wind at them. They covered their ears in pain. "RUN!" Tails screamed.

"Oh no! We're not running away this time!" Knuckles affirmed, facing up to the T-Rex. "Come on, you-" CHOMP! The T-Rex caught the red echidna in its huge jaws!

"KNUCKLES!" The friends shouted in horror. Rouge choked out in grisliness and qualm of losing her crush.

The T-Rex growled as it bared its sharp teeth in satisfaction. Suddenly to its surprise, its jaws laggardly unlatched up as Knuckles effortfully pried its mouth open. He is still in one piece! "Knuckles! You're alive!" His friends cheered. Rouge smiled in relief.

"Of course I am!" Knuckles grunted, smirking. "I'm too good to eat!" He then escaped from the mouth and hopped on its head. The T-Rex roared its head off. Knuckles held on to the comb.

Sonic stood up to it. "Come on, big boy!" He challenged. "Show me what you got!"

"Sonic, what are you doing?" Silver asked in wonder.

"What does it look like we're doing? We're teaching this brute a lesson!" Sonic replied. "I'm taking its heart out first by taunting it!" Sonic shook his rear at the T-Rex. "Yoo-hoo! Come and get me!' The T-Rex growled as it tried to bite down the confident blue hedgehog. Sonic kept dodging and deriding it. "Come on, slowpoke!" Silver was amazed by his attitudinal skills and flawless attitude. Sonic smacked his rear at the T-Rex! "Come get me, you overgrown lizard!" He ran off. The monster went after him. Knuckles jumped off its comb and hung at the trees. The tyrannosaurus stomped after Sonic through the trees. Up ahead, Tails and Chris pulled at each end of a rope, preparing to trip the big carnivore. "Ready?" Tails asked. "Ready!" Chris replied. They tugged the rope really hard. Sonic and the tyrannosaurus were closing in. "Jump!" The boys directed. Sonic jumped over the rope. The chasing T-Rex tripped and tumbled all the way through the woods. The gang watched it go. Eggman and his men were still fleeing when they turned around. The rolling huge lizard was coming at them! They screamed as it caught up to them. Together, the huge ball of fools bowled all the way down to the pit. They landed with a crash. They groaned in pain. Sonic and Silver looked down below. They looked at each other and laughed. "Whoo! That was fun!" Sonic said.

"Yeah!" Silver agreed. He peered below. "That's what you get, you...no-good...lame-mo of...lameness!" He jeered. It was his first insult.

"Eh, it's a start," Sonic accepted.

Amy ran to the hedgehogs. "My hero!" She squealed.

Sonic scratched his head in modesty. He was used to that. "Ah, come off it, Amy! It's no big deal," he said. But unexpectedly, Amy passed him! "Huh?" Sonic turned around in confusion. Instead of hugging her crush, Amy snuggled Silver in admiration! Sonic was shocked! "What?"

"Ohhh, Silver! You were amazing!" Amy praised. "That was so brave!"

"Heh heh heh. It's no problem, Amy!" Silver said, feeling good. "I'm just doing the right thing!" He scratched his head too.

"Hey, what about me?" Sonic protested. "I did the work, too!"

Amy turned around too. "You were great too, Sonic," She credited. Then she turned back to Silver. "But you...you were awesome!" Her eyes gleamed in slender. "Such boldness, such stupendousness, such force!" She rubbed his silvery furry arms.

Silver blushed. "Oh, Amy!" He smiled shyly. Sonic groaned in aversion. He was used to having his biggest admirer on his side, even though he didn't show any feeling back. He might be feeling jealous for the first time! His friends then came up to Silver, congratulating him. "Way to go, Silver!"

"You're awesome!"

"You're the man!"

"Do you know any magic tricks, Mr. Silver?"

"Hey!" Sonic pouted. He marched toward them.

"I can't believe we've found a Chaos Emerald!" Silver said ecstatically. "How lucky is that?"

"Actually, we found two Chaos Emeralds!" Rouge put in. She held out another sparkling jewel. The gang were surprised. "Thanks for the Chaos Emerald, Doc!" She called to the ravine. She must have snatched it from him when they were running from the canine packs..

Below, Eggman heard her and checked all his pockets. "NO!" He shouted. He pounded on the Dino's head in frustration. "I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!" His henchmen groaned.

"I can't believe we already found two Chaos Emeralds," Silver said. "You know, we might just make it after all." The gang praised up and down.

"At this rate, we're on our way home!" Cream said.

Sonic was about to take the lead. "If we hurry, we'll have plenty of time." He said. "Follow-whoa!" Suddenly, there was a splash from the tallest weeds. "Sonic!" The gang gasped. They rushed over there.

They saw Sonic crazily splashing around in the river. "Help me! HELP ME!" He cried. "I can't swim!"

"Don't panic, Sonic!" Chris advised him.

Amy reached her hammer to Sonic. "Here, grab on!" She shouted. Sonic grabbed on to the neck and tried to pull up but the flowing water pulled him away, dragging Amy in with him. They both splashed and coughed out "HELP US!"

"Oh no! They're going to drown!" Cream pointed out in concern. "Somebody save them!"

"Hold on, guys!" He and the others ran down the river bed. Chris fretted about his friends' safety when Silver rushed past him and got on the boulder, preparing to dive in the river.

"What are you doing, Silver?" Chris asked.

"They'll drown if we don't do something!" Silver replied.

"But you'll get swept away too!" Chris warned.

"Don't worry about me, Chris! I can swim!" Silver said positively.

"You can?" Chris was impressed.

"Israel taught me even without water!" Silver winks and dove in the river.

"Get em', Silver!" Chris cheered.

"Be careful out there!" Tails said.

Cream clasped her hands in prayer. "Save them, Mr. Silver!" She said. Cheese added.

Underwater, Silver used his telekinesis to swim graciously to the drowning hedgehogs. He grabbed them and swam toward the surface. They gasped for air when their heads perked up in the water. Silver attempted to keep afloat with his friends. Knuckles arrived at their location with some vine ropes. "Silver!" He called.

"Over here!" The hedgehog answered.

"Here! Catch!" Knuckles threw the rope at them, Silver used his ESP to wrap it around his waist. "Nice throw, Knuckles!" He said.

"Thanks, kid!" Knuckles replied. He began to pull with effort. "Somebody, give me a hand here!"

Rouge joined in. "Right!"

"Got it!" Carter volunteered. Cream, Cheese, Tails, and Chris all pitched in. Together, they hauled the vine with all their might and successfully pulled the three hedgehogs out of the water. The rescuers collapsed in tiredness. The hedgehogs were soaking wet. Sonic coughed as he shook himself dry, getting the sprinkles on his friends. Amy and Silver panted.

"You guys alright?" Silver asked.

"Yeah, never better!" Sonic sputtered. "Thanks very much!" Though, he doesn't sound pleased to be rescued by a psychic friend. In fact he felt a little embarrassed. Amy got up, dripping wet. "I'm okay! Just a little-whoa!" She slipped on her puddle. Silver caught her. "Careful, Amy!" He said. "You alright?"

"I'm soaking wet! But I'm not complaining!" Amy replied. "Thank you for saving us, Silver!"

"Anytime, Amy." Silver responded. The two smiled. Sonic gets up

The gang surrounded them, praising the future hedgehog for his act of courage.

"You gotta admit, that was pretty radical," Carter said.

"Wicked awesome!" Tails added.

"You're the best Mr. Silver!" Cream admired.

"A real doll!" Rouge added.

"Aw, it was nothing really!" Silver replied modesty.

"Wasn't that amazing, Sonic?" Chris asked. "Silver can do anything if he literally puts his mind to it!"

"Eh...big deal!" Sonic said flatly.

The gang surrounded the supernatural hedgehog. "Tell us what you else you could!"

"Well, I don't like to brag but..." Silver was telling his newfound friends about his amazing abilities while Sonic sat on the ground, disdainfully, like he wasn't expecting anyone to have someone take his glory.

"Hmph! What am I? A can of tuna?" Sonic grumbled. "It stinks being bumped into number two!" His hand rested on his cheek.

"Welcome to my world," Knuckles said. He sat down too next to him.


	19. Emerald Hunting

**For my little friend; sorry to hear that your mother won't let you have an account here. That stinks. Maybe someday, you gotta write. Your mother's only trying to protect you. She knows best. Someday you will have an account and express your creative writing. Until then, make sure she doesn't find out. I really enjoy your support. ;)**

**Peace**

Later, dusk came in the jungle. Everything was about to go dark again. The frogs chirped, the river babbled, the wind blew cool air through the trees. The gang were building something out of logs. Sonic buzzsawed the tree trunks and then Knuckles knocked the all down. Sonic cut them into thin logs while Tails and Cream lifted them near the river. Silver also helped by lifting the logs with his and putting them straight together so that Chris can tie the frames together. Amy hammered some stakes tightly onto the frames so the raft can be a lot more stable and safe. Carter just sat around, doing nothing except watching. "Keep it up, guys!" He said, acting like he's the foreman or something. "If you work faster, we'll be at home in no time!"

The gang looked at him with disapproval. "You can help us, you know!" They said together.

"I would like to, but I have an allergic reaction to hard work," Carter replied smoothly, brushing back his soft shining cerulean semi-long hair. "Call my doc if you don't believe me."

The gang turned away in discontent. "Tsk! That's your cousin!" Knuckles said to Chris.

"Don't mind him," Chris said. "He's just being...you know, himself." Carter looked at his Gem of Wonder and combed his hair with his fingers like he could see his reflection on his rainbow treasure. He acted like he's Their Royal Highness or something. Sonic shook his head in dismay.

Rouge came back with some food in a sack. "It's going to get dark soon," she said. "We better get a move on."

"Right!" Sonic said. "Everybody, let's test this baby out!" Some of the heroes grabbed on the edge of the raft. "On three," Sonic commanded. "One, two...THREE!" Slowly, they pushed the raft into the water, it successfully floated.

One by one, the pack got on it, making sure it was stabilizing. Then picked up the long stick oars they found and started rowing. "It's dark now," Tails said, as twilight hit the rainforest. "As long as we're in the river, we're safe from who-knows-what's-in-the-woods."

"This is sure beats walking," Amy said.

"Great idea using the river, Tails," Cream said.

"It my idea of course. I was the one who brought it when I fell in the river," Sonic said creditably.

"Right. At this way, we could the Chaos Emeralds a lot faster," Chris said.

"As long as I don't get seasick," Carter uttered sickly, laying on the edge of the raft with his arm in the river. The gang chuckled at his unadventurous spirit. He is after all an indoor boy.

Suddenly, there was a bright light shining above the sailing crew. They looked up, dozens of awesome shooting stars streaked across the night sky. The gang exclaimed in excitement and incredibility. Their eyes sparkled at the fantastic sight. Even Carter was amazed. "You gotta admit, this is awesome," he whispered. "You won't see something like that on television." The others nodded in agreement. The planetary moon glowed across the sky also.

"We are really far away from home," Amy said. The gang felt a little homesick. "I'm starting to miss my mother," Cream said.

"Me too," Chris added. "I wonder if my grandpa and mom and dad miss me as much as I miss them?" "Hmm..." Carter groaned in homesickness. Even though they bug him at times, he too missed his mother and father. Knuckles missed his Angel Island and Master Emerald. Rouge missed going on missions with her partner, Topaz and scouring for all the treasures in the world...and trying to take Knuckles' Master Emerald. Tails missed his X-Tornado and workshop. Amy missed shopping back home and stuff, and Sonic just missed Earth and having to run on his own adventures since he had to stick with his friends in this strange world.

Silver also missed his friends back at the future. "I hope my friends are doing okay back in my timeline," he said. "Israel told me that absence makes the heart grower fonder but also more stronger. He also told me that eventually your heart linked with the other one's will lead straight back to it."

"Really?" Sonic said. "In that case, he's right, Silver. We will get back home. This I promised." Silver and the others nodded in accord.

"Hey, look!" Carter pointed out. The raft is approaching a deep dark cave tunnel.

"Oh no! Not another cave!" Cream said.

"I hope we don't encounter any more wild animals or bats or anything," Tails said.

"Excuse me?" Rouge said when she heard him say "bats".

"Not you, Rouge."

"We have to check this out," Knuckles said, steering the raft. "We might find a Chaos Emerald in there."

"You're right, Knuckles," Sonic said. "Let's go." He and the others rowed. The raft entered the dark cave. Silver's lights radiated the way.

Behind them, Eggman and his henchmen, after they escaped from their beastly encounter, trailed after then in their branchy "canoe". "Run while you can, my little pests," Eggman growled softly. "I will find you and there is no escape for you!" His robots groaned as they drooped on the limb. "Bokkun, will you stop rocking the branch?" Decoe moaned. "You're making us sick!"

Bokkun stood on the steep limp end and bobbed up and down. "Ah! Stop complaining!" He ordered bossily. "It's an adventure!"

"Let's go!" Eggman commanded. He and the others rowed themselves inside the cave.

As the gang navigated through the black water tunnel, they had to sail slowly to avoid stalactites and stuff. Silver lit the way. "Sure is quiet and damp in here," Silver said.

"Looks like we the first and only ones in here," Sonic said.

"Let's look and see if that Chaos Emerald in this cave," Rouge said.

"Right," Sonic affirmed. "Let's park this baby and look around." The gang parked their raft onto shore and began to explore the cave. Eggman and his henchmen caught up to them and began to stalk them.

Sonic and friends walked through the darkened tunnels while Silver brightened the way. "Stay close together, guys," Sonic informed softly. "We don't want to get lost."

"Or anything else bad happen," Chris added.

Their feet pattered on the hard limestone floor, echoing the quiet cave. They looked around in curiosity and caution. Then they came across a room full of glittering diamonds. They gasped and gazed in wonder. Unsurprisingly, Rouge's eyes sparkled in delight. "My! Now this is my kind of place!" She squealed happily. "I'm in jewel heaven!"

"What a thief!" Knuckles mumbled.

"You can look at jewels later, Rouge," Sonic said, looking at his reflection in different sizes on the quartzes. "We have to find that Chaos Emerald." He looked at his short and chubby self, like the classic version. The friends looked at their reflection in different sizes.

Silver looked like he got a fat head. Tails' tails looked bigger than ever. Cream's ears are larger than life. Amy and Rouge exclaimed in horror and repulse as they saw their fat reflections. Knuckles' reflection appeared on the crystallized walls as a buff man. He smiled as he flexed his "muscles". Chris and Carter looked at their "fat" and "skinny" reflections. "Whoa!" They said.

"This way," Sonic directed, pointing to a different room. He and the others explored the other caves. Eggman and the robots also entered the quartz room, showing their funny reflections as well. Bokkun made a teasing face at his big head reflection and then freaked out when his scary reflection grinned back at him and scrambled to his master's head. He gripped on, shivering. Eggman angrily pulled him off.

The gang had finally reached the final point of the cave. Inside, there are steep karst, bottomless pits with sharp crystals sticking up from the dark, and several limestone columns that leads to the center of the cave chamber where a tall crystallized pillar. Sonic whistled, echoing the place. "What a place!" He said. He and the others looked down and cringed in fear. Sharp impaling crystals glistened in the pits. They gulped.

"Ew! I sure hate to fall in there!" Tails said.

"Look over there!" Rouge said, pointing. "There's another Emerald on the center column." Indeed, there is a Chaos Emerald on that crystal pillar.

"Eureka! There it is!" Sonic said. "I'm going in!" He began to hop onto one column to another.

"Be careful, Sonic!" Amy said.

While Sonic jumped onto the rocks, Eggman and his lackeys arrived at the scene. He grinned malevolently again. "This time you're mine, Sonic!" He said spitefully. "Bokkun!" Bokkun took off to the pillar. "I'm on it!" He volunteered.

Sonic reached hopped onto another pillar, he slipped. The gang gasped in apprehensiveness. Sonic gripped on the edge and chuckled nervously. The gang sighed in relief. Sonic got back to what he's doing and finally reached the the crystallized pillar. He gazed at the Chaos Emerald with accomplishment. "Come to Sonic!" He said. He picked up the Emerald and proudly showed it to his friends. They were delighted. "That's three down and four to go!" He announced, waving the magical gem in the air. Suddenly, Bokkun snatched it from his hand. "Hey!" Sonic cried out.

"HA HA HA! Thanks a bunch, Sonic!" Bokkun laughed.

"Give that back!" Sonic barked.

"Takers keepers!" Bokkun taunted. Sonic launched after him. "Sonic, don't!" Chris cried, concerned he might fall in the pit. Sonic grabbed onto Bokkun's legs and held on. "Give that back! It's ours!" He gritted.

Bokkun tried to shake him off. "NO! Get off me!" He shouted. They are quarreling in the air. Both of the skirmishing duo's friends were afraid that their friends might turn into shish kabobs!

"We should help him!" Bocoe said.

"But how?" Decoe asked.

"We do nothing, that's how!" Eggman solved. "Bokkun can take care of himself!" The robots looked at him dubiously.

"Guys, we got to do something!" Amy cried. Silver stepped in. "I'll help!" He volunteered. Before he could take flight, Amy gave him a kiss on the cheek as good luck. Silver blushed. "What was that for, Amy?" He asked.

"For when you assist my Sonic," Amy answered, blushing. Silver chuckled modestly.

Hanging from Bokkun, Sonic saw that and got filled with jealousness. "Hey! Amy never did that for me!" He blurted out. "What's up?"

Suddenly, Bokkun finally flung the blue hedgehog off of him who crashed against the crystal pillar. Sonic groaned as he sat there in pain, holding the Chaos Emerald he swiped in his hand. Silver took flight. "I'm coming!"

Bokkun was about to throw a television set at the blue blur. "Take this!" He shouted as he tossed it. "NO BOKKUN!" His boss and co-workers called warningly. But it was too late. Sonic quickly eluded it and the T.V. bomb crashed in the crystal pillar, causing it to collapse to the trenchant pits. Sonic escaped just in time and jumped onto the pillar, trying to regain his balance. But without the pillar structure for support of this cave chamber, everything started to fall apart literally. Everyone gasped in fear. "What's happening?!" They cried out. Bokkun frighteningly flew back to Eggman as stalactites began falling. "Let's get out of here!" Eggman hollered. He and his men tried to evacuate but the rocks blocked their path! Decoe held Bocoe in his arms as the villains felt rumbling beneath their feet. They looked down and the geyser thrashed them out of the roof of the cave, sending them screaming and packing.

Sonic tried to maintain his balance but he slipped from the crumbling column and fell. He screamed as he was about to become a hedge-kebab when Silver saved him from a nasty fate. He carried him through the caving chamber, avoiding the falling stalactites until they landed safely to the base. The heroes were about to flee. "COME ON!" Chris cried. "RUN FOR IT!"

Sonic, Silver, and friends ran for their very lives.

The gang yelled in terror as they tried to evacuate the crumbling place.

"You've really done it this time, Sonic!" Knuckles yelled. "Way to go!"

"What do you mean?" Sonic shouted back. "All I did was dodge!"

"That's what got us into this situation in the first place!" Knuckles said.

"Let's hold the chitchat and keep running!" Rouge shouted. Sonic and the gang frantically ran faster as the rocks caved in and tumbled behind them. They yelled in panic as they tried to outrun the rolling boulders, hoping they don't get crushed. They then returned to the quartz room when everything started to disintegrate too. They screamed in terror as they tried to find an exit. Suddenly, Sonic slipped on the slippery glass floor and began to slide. The others slipped to and followed Sonic over the shining floor like ice. As the crystals grotto caved in and shattered, the friends began to ride down on the quartzite slide. They screamed as they endured this dangerous trip. Their ride ended when they toppled to the ground. Then they quickly got up and ran to their raft and started oaring. "Let's get out of here!"

The cave began to crumpled as the gang quickly moved their raft from the shore. They rowed faster as large stalactites splashed to the water. The heroes shouted in fright as they tried to stabilize their ride and only hope of escaping this spelunking nightmare. Water splashed around them. They got a little wet. "My suit's dry clean only!" Rouge said.

"I abhorred water! Especially wet water!" Sonic shouted.

More bigger rocks crashed into the water, creating big waves. The danger was getting intensive. The gang frantically rowed their raft over the tides, hoping to evacuate crumbling cave. They maintained their balance as they surfed on the big wave which eventually escorted them out of the cave entrance before it caved in. Outside again, the gang screamed as they shot through the raging river after the collapse. Then, the water became stable again. The raft was sailing smooth once again. It seems that the peril is over. The heroes plopped on the raft in relief.

"I really hate boat rides," Carter said, laying down.

"My little heart is beating like a drum," Cream said, sitting down. Cheese squeaked tiresomely.

"I think I'm gonna hurl," Knuckles said, leaning over the raft. Chris sighed deeply, Silver exhaled of breath and wiped his forehead, and Amy and Rouge slumped together on the raft.

"Phew! We're safe now! And we got the Chaos Emerald!" Sonic said, holding the yellow gem. "You see, guys? Everything will be alright as long as we keep our heads up!" He instructed his tired friends. "The key is to not panic!"

Tails gulped. "Can we panic now, Sonic?" He asked nervously.

"Why?" Sonic replied. Tails pointed ahead. Straight ahead, there is no continued river, which meant WATERFALL! A big one!

"WAAHHH! OK, everybody, START PANICKING!" Sonic yelled. Everyone screamed as they frantically tried to row themselves from to shore but the current is too strong. "Come on!"

"Help us!"

"It's no use!"

"I can't hold out!"

"I don't want to get my hair wet!"

The stream quickly pulled the heroes nearly at edge of the waterfall! "I hope you guys can swim because I sure as heck can't!" Carter yelled.

"Hang on to your shoes and socks!" Sonic shouted.

The raft began to tip over. The heroes all together screamed at the top of their lungs as the raft plunged over the steep, getting ready for the great fall...

The raft fell into the river and broke in pieces. Luckily, the oar prodded into the overhang, sparing the gang from a despicable drop. They panted and whimpered as they hung on to dear life. "That was close!" Chris panted.

"I'm alive!" Carter shouted. "Thank goodness I'm alive!"

"It's okay, Cheese! I got you!" Cream soothed her Chao in her arm who squeaked in fear.

"My hair's getting wet!" Amy complained. The gang were getting a little drenched from the water above.

"See, guys? We're okay!" Sonic said. "We just got to figure out how to get ourselves out of here."

Suddenly, the oar creaked. The gang gasped. "That's not a good sound," Chris said timidly.

"Please tell me you had crackers in your pockets," Carter said fearfully.

The oar began to break! "That isn't our day!" Rouge said. Everybody began to feel panic. "Heaven help us!" Amy whimpered.

"I hate you, Sonic," Knuckles said grudgingly. Sonic chuckled nervously.

The oar snapped. Everybody screamed and plunged into the water. The river swept over them at high speed. Everybody coughed and sputtered as they tried to stay afloat. Sonic gasped. "Gah! I hate water!" He exhaled. He and the others tried to grab on to to something but the current pulled them under, submerging them through the dangerous stream. The gang flapped around helplessly as they tried to paddle. Their mouths were filled suppressed air. Cream clutched Cheese real tight. But then they drifted away through the strong current underwater until everything went all dark.

Daybreak came on the other side of the riverbed. There at a very large pond, a wave spat Sonic out to shore who coughed ferociously and gasped for air at. The pond must be the end of the river stream. His other friends emerged from the water too, hacking and gasping. They were completely soaked and wet when they stood up. "Everybody okay?" Sonic asked behind him. His quills dripped.

"We're fine, I guess," Silver answered, shaking his dripping quills dry.

"Not the kind of water park ride I had in mind!" Chris said.

Carter had to dump water out of his treasure box. Knuckles squeezed his dreadlocks dry out from water. Tails wrung his tails like it was a towel. Cream hugged her soaking Chao close to her. "Cheese is totally soaked!" She murmured as she tried to dry him with her soaked dress.

"My dress is ruined!" Amy complained.

Rouge got out of the water and knocked some water out of her large ears. "Well, that was a washout!" She said. The boys freaked out when they took a look at the bat's wet face. "What?" She asked.

"Y-Your face!" Sonic pointed out.

"What about it?" Rouge demanded. She then gasped in horror when she saw her reflection in the water. Her make up was completely messed up from underwater ride! Her mascara dripped from her eyes, her lipstick smeared, eye shadow splattered across her eyes, and now she looks like a freak! "Oh no! My beautiful face!" She sobbed in mortification and collapsed to her knees and covered her face in shame. "This is without a doubt the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life!". She then turned to Silver angrily who was frightened from by her infuriated soggy face. "There better be something in it for me, Buster! I'm not risking all face to save your lousy future for nothing!" She growled.

Silver shuddered at her anger. All of the gang exited the water and decided to take five.

Meanwhile, Eggman and his henchmen, shot from the cave, crashed landed into the plateau nearby. They sputtered out from the ground. "It's a miracle! We're alive!" Decoe said thankfully.

"I thought we would be blasting off for sure!" Bocoe said happily. The robots hugged each other. Eggman got up and peered around. He then growled in irk. "That little blue rat!" He gritted his teeth. "He thinks he's so smart, huh?" He grabbed a nearby stone. "When I get my hands on that blue rodent, I'll...I'll.." He was too angry to finish. He was so infuriated that he crushed the stone in his hand in pieces. Decoe and Bokkun winced in fear.

"Why can't we just called it quits and go home, Doctor?" Bocoe whined. "We've been through enough of this already."

"Not until we track down Sonic and make him suffer the consequences!" Eggman replied. He walked along the plateau until he spotted Sonic and his friends at the springs. "Besides, they hold the key to our ticket home and victory." He glared at them vengefully. His henchmen stood by.

The gang recuperated themselves in the pond area when Knuckles started up with Sonic. "Well, Sonic, I hope you're amused!" He said.

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked.

"You almost got us killed back there!" Knuckles said sharply. "You know, every time you come up with crazy stunts, we ended up in hot water!"

"That's not true!" Sonic replied. "I did it to get this Chaos Emerald and I succeeded." He held the yellow Chaos Emerald as a trophy.

"But you almost got us killed!" Knuckles returned.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you're the reason that we're in this mess!" Knuckles said, setting off sparks. "You're the reason we're stranded in this weird world! You might be the downfall of many things, like our Earth!"

"So I'm to blame for all this? The big hero who tried to save our butts and all?" Sonic said, returning the sparks.

"That's right! If you hadn't let Eggman capture us on his ship, we wouldn't even be here right now! I would be back in my Angel Island, sitting on the alter and guarding the Master Emerald!" Knuckles reprimanded.

"You got a problem with me, Knuckles?" Sonic asked, facing his red rival.

"Yeah! Your problem is that you don't think fast enough first to see where you're going, let alone realize what you're doing!" Knuckles retorted, pointing his fist at his blue rival. "Your only mind is hasty actions and nothing else, Mr. Just-Go-Go-Go!"

Silver sensed a spark going off between them. "Knuckles?"

"Oh yeah?" Sonic retorted. "I don't see you coming with any brilliant ideas, Mr. Brawns-Over-Brains!"

"Sonic?" Silver intended to intervene.

"Is that a challenge?" Knuckles barked.

"Oh boy.." Chris uttered.

"Bring it on, Knucklehead!" Sonic opposed.

"Here we go again!" Amy said. Silver gasped in stun. Sonic and Knuckles charged at each other and started fighting. Silver gasped in dread. "Guys, what are you doing?!" He shouted out. But neither of them heard him. They brawled through the oasis. Silver turned to his friends who just sat down, doing nothing. "Guys, we need to do something!" He said.

"Uh, I wouldn't try to butt in between them," Amy said halfheartedly.

"Especially when they're in one of those moods," Cream added. Cheese chirped in agreement.

"But, Sonic and Knuckles are FIGHTING!" Silver projected. "Aren't you going to try and break them up?"

"Don't worry about it, Silver! It's no big deal!" Chris said.

"Huh?" Silver inquired in confusion.

"They usually fight whenever there's a problem," Amy said. "But it's okay."

"You see, that's how they work things out, Silver," Tails added. "They fight until they grow tired...or at least until they knocked each other's lights out!"

"But don't worry, hon, nobody gets hurt!" Rouge added. "They'll settle this sooner or later. Could be a while." Tails nodded in concurrence.

"What?!" Silver could not believe what's he hearing or seeing. He turned back to his quarreling friends. His face was filled with worry and stress. _This isn't right!_ He thought. _We shouldn't be fighting! We should be working together as a team!_

"Come you guys!" He shouted at his red and blue friends. "Cut this out! You don't want to do this!"

"Stay out of it, Silver!" Sonic and Knuckles chorused together. They kicked him off. Silver was taken aback as he stumbled backwards. The stubborn hotheaded duo continued to brawl like enemies. Silver peered back at his other friends who aren't doing anything except just lollygaging down and chattering.

"What are you going to do with your new heirloom, Carter?" Chris asked his cousin.

"I don't know, put it in a safe display, I guess," Carter answered.

"Once we're done here, I'm getting a manicure, or maybe a nice oil massage," Rouge said.

"Sounds good, I'm getting one too!" Amy said.

"When we get home, I'm getting us a big double scoop sundae." Cream said to her friend. "Sound good, Cheese?" Cheese squeaked in pleasure.

"I'm going to give the X-Tornado a good scrubbing and polishing," Tails announced.

_I can't believe this!_ Silver thought. _My future depends on it! I...I can't...let this happen!_ His fists clenched. He was getting fed up. Sonic and Knuckles charged at each other like enraged bulls. But before they could touch each other, something unusual happens.

"ENOUGH!" Silver shouted. His eyes and hands furiously glowed turquoise as he paralyzed the hedgehog and echidna with his psychic ability. Sonic and Knuckles froze like statues!

"Hey...What's...going...on?! Sonic strained. "...I...can't...move my...body!"

"Unh...Me...Neither!" Knuckles grunted. "What...did...you...do...to...us...Silver?!"

Suddenly, Silver's hands moved. To their surprise, Sonic and Knuckles' bodies began to move on their own!

"Aah! What's happening!" Sonic shouted. "I'm out of control!"

"Hey! What's going on!" Knuckles ejaculated. "I can't control my body!"

"Don't bother! It's no use trying to resist! You're under my psychic control!" Silver said, eyes glowing. "Against your wills, I'm making you do whatever I want!" He rotated his glowing arms, making his stunned friends spin at his command.

"Why are you doing this, Silver?" Sonic asked.

"You guys wanna act like Neanderthal numbskulls, then I shall make Neanderthal fools out of YOU!" Silver answered in a disciplinary tone. "Now dance! DANCE, I SAY!" He manipulated Sonic and Knuckles like a puppet master on strings, making them dance uncontrollably. The red and blue duo exclaimed in shock as they did ballet steps and discoed against their wills. The the gang noticed their two hotheaded friends acting unexpectedly, dancing like fools. "Huh?"

"Now what are those two guys doing?" Tails inquired.

"Acting like a pair of crazy heads, I'd say," Carter commented. "Dimwits."

"That's definitely odd." Chris said.

"It seems that those two have finally lost it!" Rouge said.

"Their quills might be a little screwed on too tight." Cream added.

"I'll never understand these two!" Amy said. None of them are aware that Silver was controlling the dueling duo with his ESP, teaching them a lesson about teamwork!

Next, the psychic hedgehog instructed his right fingers, causing Sonic to kick Knuckles in the stomach!

"Ohh!" The red echidna coughed out in pain, spitting out saliva. He clutched his stomach. "What the heck did you do that for, Sonic?!" He wheezed angrily.

"It-it wasn't not my fault!" Sonic stammered. "My feet got minds of their own!"

Silver then moved his left fingers, causing Knuckles to rapidly slap the blue hedgehog across!

"Ow! OW! OW! Cut it out, Knuckles!" Sonic protested.

"It's not me! My body's moving by itself!" Knuckles replied.

"Silver stop this!" Sonic pleaded as he kept getting slapped.

"I will if you guys come to your senses and desist your childish quarreling so we can continue to search for the emeralds." Silver said firmly.

"No way!" Sonic refused.

"He started it!" Knuckles put in.

"Have it your way!" Silver said, raising his arms up. His frightened paralyzed friends floated up high in the air.

"Wait, stop!" Sonic suddenly ejaculated. "You win, Silver! We won't fight anymore!"

"Yeah, we'll behave now!" Knuckles added quickly. "Just cut that mumbo-jumbo stuff now, kid!"

Silver was satisfied. "Good!" He placed his restrained friends down back to the ground and set them free from his control. Sonic and Knuckles collapsed to the ground, panting hard, tired from the psychic hedgehog's punishment. "Now, aren't you glad we worked this out like reasonable gentlemen?" Silver smirked, dusting his hands.

Sonic and Knuckles looked at him in disquiet, and then at each other, both thinking whether their grayish friend might be sage or a little crazy. Either way, they knew he was right. Sonic and Knuckles had to bury the hatchet for now and complete their operation: Seek Chaos Control and Destroy Iblis Trigger.

Nearby, Eggman saw the whole thing through his binoculars. "My, my! That's the kind of power I would like to try that on my technology!" He said. "The white rat's psychic ability could be of use to me! Decoe, Bocoe, Bokkun!"

"Yes, Doctor?"

"We are getting closer," their master said. "Get ready. We're going to get those emeralds if it's the last thing we do!"

"Oh boy!" Decoe muttered.

"It's always the same thing!" Bocoe said unhappily.

"I hope we get bomb at those creeps!" Bokkun said. The villains prepared to trail the heroes once more.

Everything here at the springs was peaceful now. The birds were chirping, the pond twittered, and the wind whispered through the trees. Sonic and the gang huddled up in a meeting. "So, the best thing to do is to continue finding those Chaos Emeralds so we can conduct Chaos Control and get us back home," Sonic instructed. Knuckles nodded.

"I just don't get it, guys." Chris put in.

"Hmm?" Sonic and Knuckles inquired.

"Whatever happened to settling the score?" Tails asked in confusion. "What made you guys stop fighting?"

"Yeah, this isn't like you." Amy added.

"Well, um...Knuckles and I realized that, uh...fighting...isn't really the answer." Sonic answered reticently. "Right, Knuckles?"

"Right, Sonic." Knuckles replied. "We thought it over and decided to call it a draw." He chuckled uneasily.

Silver stood behind them with arms folded. His index finger tapped on his arm as he was making sure that Sonic and Knuckles are behaving.

Cream looked at them dubiously. "Are you guys feeling ok?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, we're fine!" Knuckles answered uneasily. "We just realized that we were...uh, being ridiculous and...a little...childish, so we...decided to uh, bury the hatchet. Right, Sonic?" He poked Sonic in the ribs.

"Right!" Sonic chuckled nervously. "It's like something has gotten straight to our heads and...forced some, uh sense into us! Heh heh."

"Yeah! Heh, heh, heh!" Knuckles agreed uneasily.

Silver smirked mysteriously for he will not tolerate any kind of rowdy behavior as long as he's here. The rest of the gang looked at each other in puzzlement and shrugged "what is up?". They were unaware that Silver was the one who settled this.

And so, the group exited the springs and trod through the entrance of the burning desert. The afternoon sun glared over them. The gang began to feel a little bit tired and hot. What they didn't realize was they they were being followed by a moving dune, trailing them through the sand. It was Eggman and his crew, lurking in the sand like desert snakes. "Phew it's hot out here!" Cream said, wiping her forehead. Cheese chirped in agreement.

"Hmm, I wonder why?" Rouge said.

"I hate this world!" Carter complained. "There's nothing but barren wastelands! No inns, no pit stops, no nothing!"

"Shut up, Carter! I'm sick and tired of your bellyaching!" Knuckles growled.

"Don't tell me shut up!" Carter snapped.

Knuckles irksomely showed his fist to the boy's face. "Keep this up and you'll be eating my spiky knuckles for lunch!" He snarled. Carter hissed back. The gang shook their heads in dismay.

Suddenly, the wind began to howl. A dust bowl is occurring. The gang took cover. "Hold on!" Silver shouted as he placed a cyan force field around them to protect themselves from the gritty gust. The wind blew off Eggman's cover. He and the robots shielded their faces from the sand storm. During the sandy hurricane, three mysterious figures emerged from the dunes and cruised down the desert rapidly nearby the heroes. When the sand storm ended, the heroes looked around. To their awe, a colossal pyramid stood fifty feet in front of them. "What is that?" Carter asked.

"It looks like some kind of pyramid," Knuckles answered. "The dust storm must have uncovered it."

"Strange. I'd never knew that this pyramid would turn up in a strange world like this." Sonic said.

"Then maybe we should check it out," Chris suggested. "We might find a Chaos Emerald in there. We got lucky three times. Maybe our luck will still be with us if we try."

"Uh, Chris?" Carter interrupted. "Dude?"

"What, Carter?" Chris asked.

"They already gone inside ahead of us," Carter answered, pointing over to pyramid.

"Huh?" Chris turned around. His friends were already entering the mysterious structure, leaving them behind. "HEY! Wait for us!" Chris shouted. He and his cousin ran up after them. "Whatever happened to sticking together?!" He exasperated.

Nearby, Eggman grinned malevolently as he formulated a plan. "Perfect!" He said. "We'll get them on the other side." The robots groaned. And so did Bokkun. They were getting tired of running after the heroes. So they villains head over to the other side. Nearby at the pyramid's entrance, three mysterious shadows appeared over the sand. They appeared to be hunting something...

In the pyramid, the gang walked through the hallways. Silver lit the way as usually. "I see daylight," Sonic stated. "We're not far now."

"This pyramid looks weird," Chris said. "Kind of different from the ones I studied in class."

"This must be the reception room. I think we'll be arriving to the some ruined place," Rouge said.

"What makes you so sure, Rouge?" Amy asked.

"As a treasure hunter, you must know your places," Rouge answered. "Especially a very experienced one. Someone like me."

"Oh please!" Knuckles retorted. "I know more of the world than you, Rouge. The only sights you see are diamonds, clear as your head!"

Rouge was piqued by his insult. "Who asked you, Knucklebrain?" She snapped. Carter snickered.

"Israel said to me that strange places can often lead to sticky situations," Silver advised. "We must be careful and be on our toes."

"He's right, Sonic," Chris addressed.

"Ah! When are we not careful," Sonic replied, feeling pretty confident. Perhaps he getting a little over confident. The gang are beginning to realize that. Then when they exited the pyramid chamber, they view at a ruined burial ground, like Rouge said.

"WOW!" They exclaimed in wonder.

"Looks like you were right, Rouge," Silver said. "We are in some burial ground."

"Looks more like a maze," Cream said.

"Let's check it out," Sonic said. He went on ahead.

"Wait a minute!" Chris said, walking after him. The gang looked at each other in doubt and followed along. Nearby, a strange unidentified figure lurked by.

As the gang hiked through the spooky grounds, lighting clouds struck above. "We must stick together," Tails suggested. "Who knows how big this maze is." Amy held onto Cream and Cheese so they wouldn't get separated.

"We should also watch out for booby traps," Rouge added. "They could be implanted anywhere."

"Doesn't this place give you the creeps?" Cream said. "Kind of gloomy and haunting if you ask me." Cheese chirped in agreement.

"I just hope we don't run into anymore strange creatures, deadly traps, or nothing," Carter said.

"Ever get the feeling that we're being followed?" Amy asked uncertainly.

"What makes you say that, Amy?" Sonic asked. As the gang talked, another strange being stalked them from on top of a tall mound.

Knuckles looked around. "Let's just find what we're looking for so we can get out of here-AAAHHH!" Suddenly, his foot got ensnared in a loop and was now hanging upside down from the structure. The poor sap must have fallen into one of those booby traps!

"Knuckles!" The friends cried in concern. They rushed to his side. "You okay?" They asked.

"I'm fine!" Knuckles grumbled. "Why do these things always happened to me?" He folded his arms in gripe.

"Hold on Knuckles!" Silver said. "We'll get you down!" He accidentally stepped on a pedestal floor stone, setting off another booby trap that caused Amy, Chris, and Carter to fall into a pit! They screamed as they landed on their bottoms. "Ouch!" They groused as they rubbed their sides. "Not cool!" Carter complained.

"Who put that here?!" Amy griped.

"Sorry, guys!" Silver called out.

"It's okay!" Chris said.

"We'll get you guys out!" Tails avowed. As they flying friends floated up in the air, a giant net launched from nowhere and caught Tails, Cream, and Rouge like birds in a net! They exclaimed in surprise as they tried to break off free. "Hey! Get us out of here!"

"Guys!" Sonic called out. Then he tripped over a long cord on the ground, activating it wrap around the hedgehogs' bodies, ensnaring them together and trapping them as well. Sonic and Silver laid there on the floor, literally all wrapped up. Only their feet were sticking out in the end.

"What just happened here, Sonic?" Silver spoke up.

"It looks like we're a tangled situation!" Sonic said.

"So not funny!" Knuckles snapped. Suddenly, the trapped heroes were surrounded by crazy mummy-like savages that happened to live in this burial ground. The heroes shuddered in fear.

"What are they?" Amy spoke up,

"I don't know, but I got a feeling that they're not friendly!" Chris said. The savages ganged up on their prisoners. "Hey! Stop! Let us go! Take your hands off me!"

Nearby, Eggman saw the whole thing. "Perfect! That is even better!" He said.

"What is?" Decoe asked.

"What's going on?" Bocoe asked.

"While Sonic and his friends are getting imprisoned by savages, we'll search for the Chaos Emeralds here." Eggman stepped on another pedestal stone tile. A giant cage caught them from underground, entrapping them too. They are trapped! "Ergh?! What's this!" Eggman sputtered in horror.

"Oh no!" Exclaimed the robots. "Now we're trapped!"

"I want my mommy!" Bokkun cried. Another pack of savages surrounded them.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Eggman shouted, gripping on the bars. The savages lifted the cage and took them somewhere to their special lair...


End file.
